The Love of the Hunter
by xXx WinchesterGirl xXx
Summary: Yuki and Kaname's parents were murdered and they have been seeking revenge for ten years, against Rido's immortal, savage army and Rido himself. So far, they haven't been able to kill him, until a legendary hunter comes to their aid!
1. Prologue

**The Love of the Hunter:**

**Flicka798:**** Hello people!! It's me again! I have finally come up with a new FanFic for Vampire Knight!! I am very excited about this one, and I hope that it will be even better than my other FanFic, A Vampire's Heart. **

**Well, enjoy!**

**Prologue:**

The snow blew with the wind in a flurry that horrible night. The sky was covered with dark clouds that blew over the castle grounds. But, the events that were occurring inside of the castle, were what was causing the commotion. The flames at the different towers of the ancient building. And the screams of the men, women and even children inside.

"All of you!! Enough with your teasing, and find them!!" The voice of a man rang through the night. The man was tall, and dark as the night and as evil as the deeds that were happening around the castle. Yet, the man was not human. And neither were his comrades, they were all beasts. Monsters of the night. With eyes the color of the blood that was being spilt. Vampires! And they were searching for the royal family of the castle. The king, Haruka with his queen, Juri and their two small children, Kaname and Yuki.

The vampire army was searching for them, because their leader, Rido, wanted revenge.

Rido, who stood as fierce and terrible as his army, used to be human, just like Haruka, Juri and the two children. He was Haruka's brother, and uncle to the two children. Until one night, five years ago, when the daughter, Yuki, was born, he was captured and turned into a vampire. When he awakened with his fresh vampire powers, he started to recount what he was ordered by his brother. He was to leave the country and to never return.

He stood on the tall, dark front gates of the castle, only watching by as his army wreaked havoc on the castle and its inhabitants.

Yet, deep under the castle, there was a dark room, which had a hidden door that had a tunnel that led out of the castle, and into the forest that laid on the outer boundaries of the country. In this room, were Haruka with Juri, who held her two children protectively. And Yuki's cries were hard for her to hear, and by her side, was her only son, Kaname. Haruka led them down the small hallway towards the door.

"Father, where are we going to go?" Kaname asked from his mother's side. Haruka looked back at the boy. Kaname was handling the situation better than Yuki was, although he knew that Kaname felt the same way they all did. Scared.

Then, Yuki screamed in terror. Then, she looked down at her brother, then her father, and then her mother. Haruka spoke in an urgent voice.

"I don't know, Kaname. But, we do need to get out of the castle! And now!" He spoke, then, he began to open a thick door. At first, he couldn't move it, it hasn't been open in a number of years. And it was cold, and snowing outside.

"I can't open the door!" He said, then, Juri spoke up.

"Let me help you, Haruka." She said, then she looked down at Kaname.

"Kaname, hold Yuki, please. And keep her warm. She is still very fragile." She said, handing Yuki to Kaname. When Kaname had the small girl in his arms, he wrapped the blanket around her as tight as he could. He looked at his mother.

"Don't worry, Mother." He said. Then, the small girl spoke through her frightened sobs.

"Brother…why is…this happening…?! I'm…confused…and…scared…!" She cried into her brothers' chest. He held her tight.

"It's alright, Yuki. We'll be alright." he whispered in her ear. Then, she shivered. Kaname looked up at his parents, who were pulling the ancient door open.

"Father…!Mother…!" He said, moving closer toward his parents, Yuki shivering against his chest. Yuki was only five years old, she wasn't able to control herself. The way she was shivering worried Kaname to death. He had sworn to always protect his baby sister.

Then, before he could address his parents again, he heard a banging noise above him. The vampires were trying to get in through the passage they came through earlier. The sounds came in multiple bangs. Each sound made Yuki scream. Kaname tried to hush her cries. Then, his mother turned to him, holding his face in between her hands.

"Kaname, you need to take Yuki and run!" She said urgently. Kaname was shocked at her words.

"What are you saying?!" He asked outrageously. Then, his father stood beside Juri.

"Kaname, my son, we are telling you to take Yuki and run!" He repeated Juri's words with more urgency. Kaname shook his head.

"No! Not without you-!" He said back defiantly. Then, Yuki lifted her head up.

"What? Brother? Mother? Father?" She looked at her family's faces. One at a time. Her brother held her carefully, and tightly against his chest. Her mother looked down at her daughter. Her small face was pale and her eyes were swollen and red from crying. Juri bent down, and gently kissed her daughter's forehead. Then, after her, Haruka did the same. Then, he looked at his son's face.

"Kaname, look, we'll be right behind you, okay? We just need you to run as fast as you can, while your mother and I close this door!" he said, his tone urgent. Kaname was about to speak before he felt his mother pull him into an embrace, then, she kissed him on the cheek. When she pulled away, she spoke.

"Kaname, go now! We'll be right behind you…" she whispered. Kaname looked at his mother's face, he could feel a tear in the back of his eye. Then, a loud bang and a roar came from above. Haruka grabbed his son's shoulders and shoved him, with the small girl in his arms. He pushed Kaname through the door and into the tunnel, Kaname turned to face his father.

"Go! Kaname, we'll be right behind you! Now, go! Run!" He cried urgently to his son. Kaname looked into his father's eyes. They were desperate to get him and Yuki out of there as soon as possible. Kaname nodded, and he began to run. He followed the tunnel, away from the yells, and the crashes. Then, he heard his parent's calls from behind him.

"Run, Kaname! Don't look back!" his mother's voice rang through the tunnel. Kaname slowed to a jog as he heard her voice.

"Get as far away as you can!" his father yelled into the tunnel. Then, there was a banging noise as stone hit stone. Kaname pulled to a halt and he turned around. Where there was a light, there was darkness. Then, he heard yells and clanging noises. After that, Kaname heard his mother and father's screams, as the creatures reached them. Kaname stood where he was. Transfixed.

"Kan…am…e…" Yuki whispered from his chest. He looked down at her face. She was confused.

"What…happened…? Where…are…Mother…and…Father…?" Kaname couldn't find his voice to answer her. All he could manage was a small moan and he held her close. This, she understood. And she began to cry, once more.

Then, Kaname looked up ahead, the tunnel was dark and long ahead of him. The tears that flowed down his face, he watched his little sister shake against him. He hated seeing her like this. And, she was now, the only family he had left. And he pulled her to him, and he ran off into the tunnel. Determination filled him.

_Father, Mother. Don't worry, I will take care of Yuki!! I will always protect her! And we will kill Rido, and get revenge for what he has done!!_

**Flicka798: ****A little tragic, huh? Actually, there is no 'little' about it! It's depressing! Anyway, I hope you liked this first segment of my new story. And I am going to get started on the next chapter, now! C ya!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

**Flicka798:**** Hi! Since this story just came to me, I decided to write the next chapter now! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Through the crowded streets, the people wandered idly by, trying to get by with their lives. Most of them looked tired from sleepless nights, and the famine that just sprung up downtown. What they didn't know was that vampires were behind the famine. The people were tired from the sleepless nights, because they were frightened of the sudden number of attacks in the past two weeks. There have been vampire attacks, committed by a vampire named, Cortez. He has been the one to attack the innocents now and in the past.

Yet, the crowd of people didn't know that there was someone after him, someone who has been searching for the rogue beast for the past several nights. And even came face-to-face with the monster known as Cortez. The hunter walked through the crowd of people smoothly. He has been following the trail of the famine, because he knew that, if a vampire were to drain a human dry, the human will suffer and suffer, and while the human suffers, he will get an unknown disease that was highly contagious. After a few days of suffering, the human will die, the body will decompose after a short period of time, yet the disease will catch on the wind and spread to other people.

The hunter walked through the crowd until he felt a tug on the back of his coat. He turned to see a woman, lying down in a corner. She looked like she had the disease. The hunter knelt down beside her and he pulled a cloth over his nose and mouth, so he wouldn't get the plague himself.

"Please, sir…" she coughed. "Help…me…" she begged. The hunter spoke in a soft voice.

"Miss, can you show me where you came from?" He asked. The woman turned her head to the other side, toward the dark side of the alleyway. The hunter looked down the alleyway, then he could see the fog. He looked down at the woman, she was breathing slowly and deeply, her skin was pale, chalky-like. Her eyes were red. The hunter pulled a small bottle with clear liquid in it, he opened the bottle and he held it to the woman's mouth.

"Drink this. It will stop the pain." He whispered, the woman opened her lips a bit, and the hunter poured the liquid into her mouth.

When the bottle was empty, the hunter placed the bottle back into his jacket pocket, he turned to the woman.

"Now, rest in peace." He said, then, the woman spoke, one more time.

"Thank you, sir…May I ask…your name…?" she asked with a breathy voice. The hunter didn't move at first, then, he whispered in her ear.

"I am one who has been sent to ease your suffering…" was all he replied before the woman sighed, then, she fell over on her side. The hunter got to his feet and he walked down the way the woman had indicated.

As he got farther down the alley, the more he could sense the presence of the vampire. Then, as the fog got thicker, he noticed a large, dark abandoned building at the end of the alleyway. The hunter looked one side, it only led into the fog, he looked to the other, there was a door a few feet from him. He walked over to the door, it was knocked down and there was blood on it.

_It seems that the vampire has just hunted here…_He thought, since the blood was fresh. He walked over the door and into the building. There were pieces of wood all over the floor, and there was a thick layer of dust covering it all. There was an old grandfather's clock on its side in one corner, and it was covered with dust, until the hunter spotted a hand print on top of the clock. It looked new, then, the hunter noticed that there were footprints on the floor. They were new to him, too.

"Ha ha ha ha ha…" A growling chuckle sounded in the room. The hunter turned. There was nothing, but he knew it was Cortez, the vampire he was hunting.

"So, you have finally found me…oh, great hunter." He said with a sadistic tone. Then, the beast dropped down to the ground right in front of the hunter. The beast stood up, facing the hunter. The vampire had dark red eyes, his skin was chalky-pale. His clothing was dirty. It had dirt and old blood stains all over the front. Then, the hunter noticed the vampire's hands were drenched with fresh blood, and that his face was covered in fresh blood, his bloody fangs protruded from his lips.

"You have just killed another innocent human, I take it?" The hunter asked, although he knew the answer.

"Very astute, Great Hunter. And she was a delicious one, I might add." The vampire wiped his sleeve across his face to wipe away some of the blood.

"So, you enjoy the kill this much…Cortez?" The hunter questioned. The vampire chuckled, and he bowed.

"I actually do, thank you for asking, Great Hunter…Zero Kiryu." Then, the hunter removed the cloth that covered his nose an mouth. The hunter had deep purple eyes and silver hair that fell over part of his eyes. The vampire chuckled an evil chuckle, then he spoke.

"Enough talk…" Then, Zero felt a blow to his chest, he felt his body crash into some wood behind him. He jumped back to his feet, he reached into his jacket and he pulled out a silver gun, on its side, read; Bloody Rose. He aimed at where Cortez stood, and he shot. In the blink of an eye, the vampire was out of sight.

Zero took a step forward, then, he heard a chuckle above him, he pointed the weapon above his head and fired. Cortez fell and landed right at Zero's feet, clutching his left shoulder in pain. Zero placed his foot on the beasts chest, and he pointed the gun at the vampire's heart.

"This is the end…of your game." Zero said, he placed his finger on the trigger.

"I guess it is…Great Hunter…" Cortez said hoarsely.

"Find peace…Cortez." Zero whispered, then, he pulled the trigger. In the place of Cortez's body, was only dust that flew in the wind that blew through the broken windows.

Zero walked over to the broken window, he could see some poor people at the end of the alleyway, crawling away from his direction. Then, he looked up toward the sky, the grey clouds covered every inch of it. Zero looked back down and he sighed heavily before saying,

"Well, I might as well head out of here, so _he _can chew me out again." With that, Zero walked out of the abandoned building and he walked back out of the alleyway. Then, as he reached the outskirts of the city, he whistled loudly.

A minute later, he saw a white mare running towards him. When she reached him, he stroked her face.

"Hey, Lily. Time to head home." Then, he stepped into the stirrup and he turned Lily into the opposite direction of the city and he rode in the direction of the setting sun.

**Flicka798: ****I hope you liked this chapter! And this is not the end, yet! I will update more as soon as I can! (probably when I wake up in the morning)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Order**

**Flicka798_:_** **Sometimes I wonder if I do things too fast. I know I have a bad habit of being a fast eater! But this--this is just--! Whatever, the ideas for this story are just uncontrollable right now!**

The sun rose over the large church in the center of the courtyard. Zero rode Lily at a walk over the cobblestones so her feet won't get hurt and so he could stall for time. And, before he knew it, he was right at the chapel doors. He took a deep breath before dismounting, and he addressed Lily.

"If I'm not out by sundown, pronounce me dead and run free." He said to her. She nickered as though she was saying 'Whatever.' He chuckled as he stroked her long mane. Then, he walked up the steps and into the chapel. The stained glass windows shown bright in the morning light. Every step Zero took was heard through out the entire room. For Zero, it was just annoying, but he was used to it. He walked to the end of the chapel where there was a small closet. He sighed again.

_Might as well,_ Then, he stepped into the small closet, and he shut the door behind him. He sat down on the stool and he stared at the screen in front of him.

"Let me guess," a voice said on the other side of the screen. Zero was used to this, "You killed another vampire again, when we were hoping that you could bring him here alive, so we could study him, learn more and perhaps, even convince him to be on the side of good. But…." Zero was about to face another explosion. Before the man on the other side exploded, Zero spoke.

"Wait, I was supposed to bring that thing back here, alive?!" He asked innocently. "Wow! I must have missed that part!" He said, smacking his forehead. Then, the man on the other side of the screen showed his face. It was angry.

"Don't play dumb, Zero!!" he yelled. Zero leaned back a bit, "You knew you were supposed to bring Cortez back! But, once again, you had to do things your own way!!" The man shouted, his voice echoed through out the chapel. Zero looked around, still trying to act innocent.

"You know, you shouldn't shout in a chapel...it's rude!" Zero said in an innocent tone. Now, he'd done it.

Twenty minutes later, Zero was following the man, through the screen door that was once separating them, down the stairs with a black eye, three black bruises on his face, and his arm hurt like hell because it was hit several times with a stick. (hahahaha! I couldn't help it! It's sooo funny!) He grunted with every step.

"Well, anyway I hope you have learned your lesson, Zero." The man said from in front of him. Zero growled.

"All I learned was to not piss you off, and we'll get along just fine!" He said through his teeth. The man looked at Zero. Smiling.

"See? Now your catching on!" he said and he turned his attention back to the stairs. Then, they finally reached the underground basement at the bottom of the church. Zero looked around, there were people working on the new weapons that were still in testing, and there were even blacksmiths working on swords and knives near the back of the basement.

Zero followed the man through a crowd of people toward a large projector.

"Zero, come over here, we have a new assignment for you." The man said. (You'll know who he is in a minute!) Zero walked over toward the projector, then, there was a shout.

"Toga!! Toga Yagari!! We need your help over here!!" A man called from where the blacksmith's part of the basement. Yagari rolled his eyes.

"Who's fault is it?!" He yelled. The same man called,

"It's Jimmy!!" The man yelled. Yagari rolled his eyes again, and yelled back.

"Well, tell him that if he doesn't get a hold of himself, I will personally kick his scrawny butt back where he came from!!" Yagari yelled. Then, a different voice called.

"Mr. Yagari, sir!! I'm sorry, sir! It won't happen again!!" The voice happened to belong to Jimmy. Yagari yelled back.

"I'm sure you won't! Because if it does happen again, I will make sure that your butt will be kicked out of here, and into a place where people only go to visit the dead!!" he yelled, then, Yagari turned back to Zero. Zero was staring at the wall, his arms and legs crossed.

"Pay attention, Zero!" Yagari said. Zero turned his head toward Yagari.

"I am. I'm just waiting for my mission." he said. Yagari cooled down.

"Right, anyway, back to business." he motioned for a man at the projector to start. The man clicked a switch and the machine made a few clicking noises before an image of a map appeared on the wall.

"Zero. We need you to go the west," He said. Then, he pointed toward a country that caught Zero's attention.

"Tetsuna?" Zero asked. The word was a bit familiar for some strange reason.

"Yes. There has been a lot of commotion in Tetsuna for the past fifteen years." Yagari said. Zero had never even heard of the country before. He looked at Yagari, confused. Then, Yagari spoke.

"You see, Tetsuna is a very small country and it is ruled over by the Kuran family." Zero listened carefully, Yagari spoke carefully, "Tetsuna was a peaceful country, no wars or fighting, until an accident fifteen years ago," the slide changed to reveal a painting of a man in his early thirties or so, with dark hair and dark eyes, "When King Haruka's brother, Rido was ordered to leave the country for heinous crimes. Then, he was attacked and transformed into a vampire." Yagari continued.

"Ever since, he has had his heart set on revenge. So, ten years ago, he turned a whole army immortal so he could destroy the Kuran family line, and he would be king. Yet, his plan didn't fully succeed." Yagari said. Zero was confused.

"What do you mean, 'didn't fully succeed?'" Zero questioned, then the slide changed to show a photo of a young man, maybe around Zero's age (Zero is seventeen by the way) and, he had his arm around a young girl's shoulders. They both had brown hair and brown eyes.

"The two Kuran siblings, Kaname and his younger sister, Yuki. They managed to escape the siege of the castle that Rido led ten years ago, Zero. Yet, with a price. Their parents' lives." Zero looked over at Yagari. "Yes, Yuki was only five years old, and Kaname was around eight or nine. Ever since that night, they spent all of their time, training themselves in combat and how to use different kinds of weapons, so they could avenge their parents' deaths." Yagari said quietly, he looked at the siblings in the picture. They looked very much alike in some ways. Yet, he continued.

"Anyway, they have struggled and struggled, even young Yuki in the photo." He indicated to the girl in the photo, "She has pushed herself much harder than any order member here when she turned seven. Training with her brother, day in and day out, until she collapsed." Yagari shook his head. "Well, Kaname pushed himself just as hard." He said.

Yagari looked over at Zero, who was looking at the sibling photo on the wall. After a moment, he finally spoke.

"So, my assignment is to…" he said looking at Yagari. Yagari nodded.

"Yes, to kill Rido before those two siblings are killed. Since they are the last in line to the crown of Tetsuna." Yagari said. Zero looked one more time at the photo before he turned back to Yagari.

"I'll need to re-stock on weapons." he said. Yagari nodded. Then, Zero walked away from the projector and toward the blacksmith corner of the basement. But, he needed to see a certain someone.

"Could you run a bit faster, please?" A man with light brown hair called to a man on a bicycle-like contraption.

"Faster! Faster! Faster! Faste-" Then, the man on the contraption was caught on fire. The man with light brown hair just nodded.

"Well, we're getting there, anyway. Ah! Zero!" He waved at Zero. Zero just stared.

"What?" Then he saw the man who had just been doused with water. He waved a hand.

"Oh, that!" he laughed nervously, "Don't worry about that! Anyway," he walked away from the strange machine and walked over to Zero. Then, he happened to notice the black eye and the bruises.

"Did you make Yagari angry again, and fail to do as asked?" Zero didn't even open his mouth when the man spoke again. "Yep, just as I thought. That's why they get so annoyed. Here's a quick lesson, when they ask you to bring someone or something back, they mean to bring it back alive and not as a corpse." Zero gave him a death glare that said, 'I dare you to continue.' The man changed the subject.

"Oh, alright. On weapons detail, we have a few new things," then, a machine gun began firing rounds behind them.

"Please tell me that that is one of those new weapons, Kaein." He said. Kaein smiled. (the headmaster from the series! I had to do this!)

"Sorry, not this time Zero, for you, we'll need a few things of a different category." Then, Kaein led Zero past a few blacksmiths and he grabbed a sword off of a table. Zero looked at the weapon.

"Is that one for me?" he asked hopefully. Kaein turned toward him, and he nodded his head.

"Yes, actually. This particular blade has Holy Latin text written on it, see for yourself," Kaein handed the sheathed blade to Zero. Zero took it, and he pulled the sword out of the sheathe, and, just as Kaein said, there was, indeed writing in Latin on the blades' edge. He held the blade vertically in front of him. Kaein nodded.

"Mm-hm. Now, of what I've heard coming from that tiny country, you'll need this kind of blade. Especially for that army." he added, then, he grabbed a large leather bag that he had put together earlier from under the table and he showed it to Zero. Zero lifted an eyebrow.

"Now, what is in there? My lunch?" Zero smirked as he sheathed the blade, and he grabbed the belt that lay on the table and he began to fasten the blade to his hip. Kaein laughed a false laugh.

"Ha ha, very funny. In this bag is some of the usual stuff. Like, garlic, holy water, steaks, and a few crucifixes, too. Oh! And," he pulled out a small brown bag from the leather bag.

"Your lunch." Kaein said, (I had to add that!) Zero chuckled and he snatched the bag from Kaein and he went through it. When he saw what was inside, he frowned.

"What?" Kaein asked. Zero pulled out what was in the bag. It was a loaf of bread with some cheese.

"And, what exactly am I supposed to do with this?" Zero asked holding the bread and cheese up for Kaein to see. Kaein hunched his shoulders.

"Well, I take it you are supposed to eat it." Kaein said. Zero smirked.

"I don't know how Yagari expects me to eat this…this…whatever it is!" Zero shook his head in mock horror as he stuffed the bread and cheese back into the brown bag and he slammed it onto the table. Kaein shook his head and he turned toward another table behind him and he picked up a big black box.

"Well anyway, I have some new bullets for 'Rose.'" Kaein said, handing the box to Zero. Zero took the box and he opened the box. There were gun cases filled with bullets inside. Zero nodded in approval as he shut the box and he stuffed it under his arm. Then, Kaein shoved the leather bag into his arms.

"Oh! I almost forgot one more thing that might come in handy!" Then he ran off. Zero grabbed the leather bag by the strap and he placed the black bullet box into the bag and he slung it over his shoulder and he followed after Kaein. The bread and cheese, long forgotten. (I had to add that, too!)

When he found Kaein, he was holding a glass ball with some kind of bluish-greenish liquid inside.

"Now, what in the seven hells is that?" Zero said, Kaein turned to face Zero, the small ball in his hands. He smiled evilly.

"This, my friend, is something that I have been working on for twelve years." he said, then, he held the ball up so that he looked like it was a holy beacon of hope or something.

"Okay, what's that little ball for? Is it for me to play with in case I get bored?" Zero asked and he chuckled. Kaein smirked at him.

"Laugh all you want, Mr. Genius, but, this little ball will end up saving your life. And," before Zero could speak, "It can create a light so bright, its intensity matches the sun." Kaein said, then he placed the ball into a small box of its own. Zero spoke again.

"How is something like that going to come in handy?" Zero asked, Kaein replied.

"Zero! Use your imagination a little bit! You could use it to blind the enemies, or as a distraction or blind away a herd of charging moose or wildebeest. Or something of that kind." Kaein place the box into another leather bag, which held a large shot gun and he also placed another bullet box inside of it and he shoved it into the larger bag that was on Zero's back.

"Well, Kaein, since my imagination sucks, your coming with me."

"What the hell?! I am?" Kaein exclaimed. Zero gasped in mock horror.

"You cursed! Now, Kaein. Shame on you! And you are supposed to be a man of the lord!" Zero mocked. Kaein smirked again.

"Oh, shut it, Zero! I'm no monk, I am only the weapon specialist for this order so I can curse all I want…damn it!" Kaein said. (Quick comment and warning: yes, I got some of these ideas from the movie Van Helsing. But, only some of the things are from Van Helsing, so don't worry. The whole story isn't based off of Van Helsing!) Zero chuckled.

"Oh! Wait for me outside, will you?" Zero handed Kaein the bags and he ran out of the basement as Kaein shouted,

"I'm not a man of action, and I don't want to deal with vampires, Zero!" He complained as Zero ran up the stairs. When he got to the top, he went across the long hallway of the chapel and he walked through a large door. He opened the door and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

The room was big, but not that big. There was a large stain glass window at the end of the room with the design of Mary on it. And in the corner of the room was a large white bed.

Zero walked over to the bed, and, laying there sleeping, was Zero's younger twin brother, Ichiru. (Another spur of the moment idea!)

"Hey, Ichiru." Zero said to the sleeping form. Ichiru stirred in bed and he opened his eyes. There was his older brother. He smiled.

"Hey, Zero…what's with the bruises? Did you make Yagari angry again?" Ichiru asked. Zero growled.

"Don't even start with me!" Zero growled. Ichiru chuckled before he started coughing. Zero sat down beside Ichiru.

"Are you okay, Ichiru?" he asked, anxiously. Ichiru looked up at his face and he nodded. Then, he began to fall asleep. This happened a lot. Ichiru was born weak and frail, so he got sick fairly easily.

"Good luck…on your next mission…brother…" Ichiru whispered, then, he fell asleep again. Zero nodded, then, he stood up and he walked out of the room, quietly, so as to not disturb Ichiru's sleep.

When Zero was outside, he saw Kaein sitting on the back of a sorrel gelding. He looked unhappy. Zero didn't feel like talking, so he just chuckled and he whistled for Lily.

Another minute later, there was Lily, all saddled and ready for the road. Zero stroked her face softly before mounting her and he, with Kaein rode off to Tetsuna.

**Flicka798: ****I hope you liked this chapter! It was longer than the others and, probably the funniest! I was laughing as I wrote a few of the certain parts! Anyway, that is enough for now! I am tired, and I want to go to sleep now! Later!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Journey's and Meetings**

**Flicka798: Sorry I've been gone awhile, things have been happening, and I had to go to a funeral, so things were hard for a while. So, now I'm back. Well, it seems I have no comment to make about this next chapter. All I have to say is to enjoy it, or leave!! Just kidding! Just enjoy!!**

The ship docked early at the shores of a small port at midday after a whole week at sea. Zero rode Lily off of the ship, followed by Kaein, who looked a bit nauseous. Zero rode down the streets of the crowded port at a steady walk, before they were out of the crowds, and they ran into an old run down sign that read;

_Tetsuna-368 miles_ And there was an arrow that pointed to the road on the right. Zero pulled Lily to the right, then, when he was about to push her to a gallop, he heard a moan from behind him. He rolled his eyes and he pulled Lily back around so he could look at Kaein, who was looking at the sign in despair.

"Oh, come on, Kaein! Stop whining like a girl, and let's get going…before I leave you behind!" He warned. Kaein looked up at Zero.

"Why are you always in such a rush?" He moaned as he pushed his horse onto the right road. Zero turned Lily around one more time, he spoke, before pushing her into a full gallop,

"So I can get things done, 'in a rush.'" Then, with Kaein right behind him, Zero pushed Lily into a full gallop, following the dirt road, which lead into the snowy mountains.

The horses galloped up the dirt road that lead into a deep forest, which climbed up into the mountains.

They rode through the trees at full speed, until they rode to the top of the mountain. The trail led them to the top of the mountain, then, the mountain trail led them further and further west. The sky remained covered with grey clouds, yet, it didn't rain.

There was no interaction between the two men as they followed the long dirt trail over the mountain. Until, they looked down over the mountain, and they saw a city in the mountain valley. Zero knew at once that they have finally reached Tetsuna. Yet, he did not pull Lily to a halt, instead, the trail began to lead down the mountain side and toward the city.

About an hour later, Zero and Kaein entered the city, their horses going at a steady walk through a small crowd. Then, ahead of them, they saw two guards on black horses standing outside of the main gates, that led to the castle. Zero pulled Lily to a halt in front of the guards, Kaein halted behind him. One of the guards spoke.

"What is your business here, stranger?!" He commanded. Zero expected this much. Then, before he could open his mouth to speak, the other guard spoke now.

"No lies! What business have you here?!" He commanded in the same tone. Zero rolled his eyes,

"Well, you two are very rude...being so demanding when you should know that I am not a vampire, because if I was, then I would have killed you two already to get to the two Kuran siblings." Zero said in a calm tone. At the mention of the siblings, the guards stiffened. Then, Zero went on,

"Yes, I know all about what happened here, the incident ten years ago, the deaths of the King Haruka, and Queen Juri, and the miraculous survival of the two siblings, and the seige of the fallen castle. Rido's lust for rule over this country..."

"You seem to be well informed of the predicament here...Hunter." A woman's voice sounded behind him. Kaein squealed in surprise, Zero turned Lily around, and, mounted on a black stallion, was a young woman with long hair, pulled back in a braid that trailed down her back, and she had brown eyes. Zero recognized her as Yuki, the younger of the Kuran siblings. Zero looked at her.

"Like I said, I know all about what has happened here...Yuki Kuran." The woman smiled a cunning-like smile.

"You know me as well?" she stated. Zero nodded.

"As well as your older brother, Kaname Kuran." At the mention of her brother, Yuki's eyes went sad.

"Hm...then...there's no doubt about it..." she said. Zero didn't speak.

"You are the hunter...Zero Kiryu." Zero closed his eyes and chuckled whiled the guards inhaled a gasp. So, they have heard of his reputation.

"You know me, huh? No surprise." he said. Yuki looked at him with strong eyes, as though trying to see if he was the real thing.

Zero then was caught off guard by a large screech, probably made by several individual vampires. Then, Yuki and him looked up and they saw five over-sized bats. Yet, their faces had a human complex, yet, their skin was chalky pale and they had fangs and they're eyes were of a blood colored luster. And, each one had long different colored hair. One had long black hair, another had red, one had dark brown, one had platinum blonde, and the last one had dark hair with blond highlights (awesome!).

"Oh no, the brides...!" Yuki whispered as the large bats came their way. Zero looked at her questionally while he pulled out his 'Bloody Rose', and the case which had bullets, and he began to arm the weapon.

"'The Brides?'" he asked, Yuki nodded at him.

"Yes, Rido found them during the years and transformed them so they could be his brides. And so they can have the same powers as he himself, possesses." The large bat-brides, began to get closer. Yuki spoke once more, "The black-head is Yori. The red-head is Ruka. The one with dark brown hair is Seiren. The one with highlights is Hari. And the blonde, Rido's favorite, is Shizuka." Yuki turned to the guards.

"Warn everyone, immediately! And tell them to get inside at once! The Brides are here!" she said. The guards nodded and they kicked their horses toward the town, and they began shouting at every person they crossed. But, two of the Brides, Ruka and Yori had already begun to attack, with Seiren and Hari behind them, while Shizuka just stayed above the town. As though she was supervising. This confused Zero.

"Why doesn't she attack? Why is she just watching?" Zero asked Yuki, who just turned her horse toward the town.

"Because she is making sure that if I were there, she would kill me or take me to Rido." Then, she kicked her horse toward the town.

"Hey!" Zero called as he kicked Lily after her. Then, as Lily ran after Yuki, Zero took aim with his 'Bloody Rose', and he took aim at the red-head, Ruka, who was about to feed on a small child. He aimed for her head, and he fired. The bullet sent the vampire back and she clutched at her head in agony. She screeched loudly, then, she took her hands away from her face, and she saw Zero with the Bloody Rose gun in his hands, as Lily tried to catch up to Yuki's stallion.

Ruka did not recognize the stranger, he must have been a newcomer. Ruka spread her wings and she flew up to Shizuka.

"Shizuka-"

"I know, Ruka. I saw him..." Shizuka said in a seducing tone. She looked down at Zero, who still rode after Yuki, who was trying to get everyone inside the houses. Shizuka chuckled evilly.

"Ruka...kill the stranger." She ordered. Ruka growled in between her fangs.

"And warn the others of him. He seems to be different from the other humans...ah...I have spotted the princess." With that, Shizuka took off after Yuki, while Ruka went to see the other three brides about the hunter who shot her.

Yuki pulled her horse to a halt, and Zero stopped right next to her. She looked at him in astonishment.

"You shot Ruka..." she said through her ragged breathing. Zero shrugged.

"So, that just means we have one less to worry about." he said. Then, he heard something above him. He pointed his gun above him, where the sound came from, and he fired without looking up. Then, a large bat fell in front of the two horses, the stallion reared up, while Lily snorted as though she was saying, 'Too bad for her.'

Zero saw that this was the blonde bride. Shizuka. He saw his shot in her shoulder. Yuki dismounted her stallion, while Zero jumped off of Lily. Yuki walked over to Shizuka's head and she placed her foot on the bat's chest.

"Why did you five attack during the day?!" Yuki demanded. Shizuka just chuckled, as she grasped at her wounded shoulder. Zero pointed his gun at her chest, where her heart was supposed to be.

"Master's orders, princess. Yet, it seems to be a fair fight, this hunter has skill and nerve enough to attack us." she glared up at Zero. Zero just stared back.

"Well, all you vampires are, are just dead bodies with no hearts and no spirit or even a soul. So, the only thing that is freaky is that you are only the walking, or in your case, the flying dead. And the only way to sustain your lives are to drink the life blood of the living." he said this as though everyone knew this. Yuki looked at him again. Shizuka chuckled evilly, again.

"You will soon regret ever having attacked us, hunter." she said, then, she saw Ruka in the air, writhing in pain. Then, Zero turned and he took careful aim at her, then he fired. The bullet hit her square in the chest. She shreeked again, but this time, parts of her body turned into dust. First her feet, then the dust line crept up her body, then, she had disappeared completely.

Then, Seiren with Yori and Hari, screamed and Shizuka got to her feet, but she still clutched her shoulder as she looked up at the other brides.

"We will meet again, princess and hunter." she warned, then, Yori and Seiren flew down to her and they each put her arms over their shoulders, and Hari led them into the skies and they flew off, in the direction of the setting sun.

Zero looked back at Yuki, she was looking in the direction the Brides had flown. Anger and hatred was clear on her face.

"Something is going on here that you are not telling me." He directed this at Yuki with certainty. Yuki looked at him in astonishment, then, she just looked at the ground.

"My brother...Kaname...-"

"Princess! Princess!" A guard came rushing over towards them, looking out of breath. Yuki turned to face the guard.

"What is it?" She asked. The guard looked at her face.

"It's Lord Kaname...he seems to be getting worse..."

"What?!" She demanded. Zero looked over at the guard out of the corner of his eyes.

_So, it seems that her older brother is ill._ He thought to himself, _But, either way, I will figure out what is really going on around here._

**Flicka798: So, what do you think? I hope you liked this chapter. So, I will get started on the next chapter as soon as I can...Sorry again for being gone for so long. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Learning The Truth**

**Flicka798: Sorry, I've been gone for so long! I just couldn't find the time to get on the internet so I can update!**

Zero, followed by Kaein, followed Yuki up the hill, and toward the castle. Yuki pulled her stallion to a hard halt, she leapt off of his back, and she ran into the castle. Zero was only a couple of steps behind her. Zero could here Yuki's ragged breathing, but his own was steady as he followed her up several flights of stairs. He followed her through long hallways, taking a few turns, before she stopped outside of a room with a large door, and she pulled the doors open.

"Kaname?!" She yelled. And, she ran into the large room. Zero only walked in. Yuki sat down in a chair beside the large bed that sat on the right side of the large window. And, lying in bed, was a young man, probably just a little bit older than Zero. He had dark brown hair, which resembled Yuki's hair color, with dark brown eyes, also, the same as Yuki's. Then, Zero recognized the young man, from the photo he saw at the order, as Kaname Kuran, Yuki's older brother.

Zero walked into the room, he could hear Yuki talking to Kaname in a quiet voice, while Kaname spoke in a raspy tone. Then, Zero saw that Kaname looked very pale, and his hair was stuck to his forehead, due to the fact that he was sweating. He looked very ill. Zero walked up behind Yuki.

"Kaname Kuran…" He said, simply. Yuki jumped in fright, while Kaname lifted his head up to look at the stranger who stood behind his sister. Yuki took a deep breath before speaking.

"Kaname, this is Zero Kiryu. He is a Hunter…" She said quietly, holding Kaname's hand. Kaname nodded slowly.

"I see..." he said in his low raspy voice. Zero just stood behind Yuki in silence until Kaname spoke again.

"So...why have you come here, Hunter?" he asked Zero, but Yuki answered for him.

"He has come to help..." she said simply. Zero just sighed while Kaname nodded.

"Really?" Then he chuckled. Zero looked down at him.

"What?" He asked. Kaname just shook his head.

"There have been many people in the past who have tried to help us, yet, none survive." Kaname said. Zero smiled crookedly.

"Well, they didn't know me...I have a reputation that you might have heard about." Kaname nodded at Zero's statement.

"Yes...I have. Who hasn't? The legendary hunter, Zero Kiryu." Kaname stated in a quiet tone. Zero shrugged, then his expression turned serious.

"Alright, enough about that. Just what is going on here?" He asked, looking between the siblings for answers. Yuki just looked down at her hand that held Kaname's.

Kaname answered. "I thought you knew what was going on here?" he asked.

"Yes, but why is Rido after the two of you? What kind of vampire holds a connection to two people of a family he tore apart a long time ago, and still be after them? It doesn't make any sense." Zero said.

"Rido is our biological uncle." Yuki spoke quietly, yet Zero heard her. This caught him off guard.

"What?"

"Yes, he used to live in this house years ago...now, we don't know where he is. We've been tracking him down for a long time." Yuki said, anger coming into her words. Kaname put his hand on her head.

"Calm down, Yuki...why don't you go rest until you've calmed down?" Yuki looked up at her brother's face.

"But, I-"

"It's alright-" Then, Kaname began to cough.

"Kaname!! Brother!!" Then, Zero pushed past her, so he stood right next to Kaname. He placed his hand on Kaname's forehead. It was cool. That was when Zero understood.

"He's transforming..." He said quietly, as Kaname burst into a coughing fit. Yuki looked up at Zero, tears in her eyes as he said it.

"No! He isn't-!"

"Don't even try to hide it...it's true. He either was bitten, or he enhailed the remains of a Level E, didn't he?!" He demanded of Yuki, who couldn't hide the agony in her eyes. Then, she nodded.

"It was just a short while back...we hunted a Level E...and we killed it...and Kaname fell face-first into the dusted remains..." she said through her tears. Zero nodded, then, he pulled a small bottle out of his jacket pocket with dark blue liquid, and he opened the bottle, and he bent down to Kaname, who was clutching his chest. Zero took the bottle, and was about to dip the contents into his mouth, until Yuki grabbed his arm.

"What is that?!" she demanded. Zero shook her off, and he dipped the blue liquid into Kaname's mouth. When the bottle was empty, Zero placed the cork back on, and he put the bottle back into his pocket. He backed away from Kaname, pulling Yuki with him. She turned to Zero, grabbing the front of his jacket.

"What did you just give my brother?!" she demanded. Zero grabbed both of her wrists, and he turned her to face Kaname, and he held her in a vise in his arms so she couldn't move. He placed his head near the crook of her neck, and he spoke in her ear.

"Watch, carefully." Yuki turned her head to look at Zero, then, she did as he instructed. Kaname coughed for a few more seconds, before he inhaled a deep breath in shock, and he began to breath in deep, even breaths. His eyes closed as he breathed. Zero felt Yuki freeze in his arms. He spoke in a whisper in her ear.

"The liquid I gave him should help stall the transformation..." He whispered in her ear, then he continued as he felt her turn toward him. "The agent won't be able to stop the transformation, completely...but, if I hadn't given it to him just now...he would have just transformed into a blood thirsty beast, just now." He heard Yuki gasp in shock. He continued, "Now, since I just saved your brother some time before he transforms completely, I think I would like some answers, Princess." Yuki sighed heavily as she watched her brother sleep soundly. Then, she spoke,

"What was that liquid?" she asked quietly.

"It is called the 'Blue Rose Agent'. I have used it ever since it was first concocted, which was only about six months ago. So, it is still quite new, and useful." He said. Yuki nodded against his chest, until-

"If you want your answers, could you let go of me please?" She asked, Zero chuckled and he released her, and she turned to face him, seriousness in her eyes.

"Now, I guess I should begin at the beginning...some of these things you may already know, but some of it, no one has ever heard before..." Zero nodded as she spoke.

"Now, the conflict between Rido and my father began ten years ago..." she began

**Flicka798: I'm sorry for stopping right here and leaving y'all on a cliff-hanger, but I just felt like stopping here and the answers lie in the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one! I especially loved the part where Zero held Yuki! Hehehe...there will be more scenes similar to this soon. I can't wait. Cya!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Loveless**

**Flicka798: Hiya, everybody!! I have decided to go over to what Rido is up to and how he reacted to Ruka's murder. Who cares, if you ask me. Anyway, enjoy!**

In the large, stone room the vampire army gathered around the vampire who stood in the center. He was tall, and he had eyes the color of blood. He stood quietly looking at a large portrait in the center of the hall. It was of a beautiful young woman with long brown hair, with dark brown eyes. She also had a brilliant smile on her face.

Then, there was a loud shreek which echoed through the halls of his castle, he turned from the painting to see Shizuka, supported by Seiren and Yori with Hari standing in the hall in front of him, and in the center. Rido was confused.

"Where is Ruka?" He asked his brides. There were moans from Yori, Hari and Seiren as Shizuka stepped forward, clutching her shoulder.

"Ruka was killed by a hunter who has come to aid the Kuran brats." Shizuka said calmly. Rido's eyes opened up a bit wider than they were at the mention of the unknown hunter, then Ruka's murder. After a few seconds, he turned to face the portrait of the woman again, then he began to shreek out. His brides followed his lead before he composed himself.

"I see...so who is this hunter?" he asked, without looking at his brides. Shizuka spoke calmly, again.

"It seems that this hunter has some kind of skill in hunting us. We don't know exactly _who _he is, but we will find out, master." she said, and she bowed her head. Rido turned to face Shizuka, her head was down, and her hair fell over her shoulders. Rido walked down toward her, and he lifted her head up so he was looking her in the eyes. Then, he turned to the other vampires in the room, including the other brides.

"Leave us." He ordered them, then they all cleared out of the room, leaving him and Shizuka alone in the room. He looked back down at her face. Looking into her eyes.

"Shizuka, my love, I want you to find out who this hunter is..." he said quietly to her. She blinked in affirmative.

"Of course, master." she said. Rido spoke again.

"I don't want any of them, the Kuran siblings or this hunter to ruin our plans..." he said. Shizuka nodded.

"Yes, I understand, master." she said, her tone unchanging. Then, Rido claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss. Shizuka's arms went around his neck as he kissed her on the lips, then he went down till his face rested near the crook of her neck. A desire filled him.

"Shizuka, my love..." he didn't finish as he felt one of her hands in his hair.

"Master, if you require blood at this time, please, do not hesitate..." she said quietly, as a desire filled inside of herself. Then, Rido moaned a slight moan before he dug his fangs into Shizuka's neck. He heard her moan quietly, not in discomfort, but in pleasure. He placed one of his hands into her hair, while the other held her back, as he drank her blood.

He stood there silently, drinking Shizuka's blood, the desire inside of him dimming with every gulp. Then, Shizuka moaned,

"Master..." then, he released Shizuka and she fell to the floor, unconcsious. Rido wiped his lips on his sleeve as he looked down at her.

"Shizuka, you will find out who this hunter is..." he said quietly, then he turned back to the portrait that hung on the wall. A different kind of desire filled inside of him as he looked at the portrait of the smiling woman. He placed a hand on the portrait as he looked at the woman.

"Juri...my love...why?"

**Flicka798: So, what do you think? Rido a weirdo? I think so, anyway I want to get back to more important things than Rido's desires, or his crappy plans. Later, dudes!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Answers**

**Flicka798: Hi people! Ready to figure out the true dilemma?! I know I am!! I don't like Rido! Never did. Rido's a weirdo!!**

"I already knew about the siege, I know about your parent's murders! But, other than being banished-"

"I'm getting to the important part! Just shut up and listen!" Yuki said impatiently. Zero was just told about the incident at the castle ten years ago, from Yuki's point of view. How scared she was that night, how confused she was. Then, she spoke again.

"Okay, that was the beginning of his conflict with me and my brother, but no one else knows that the true conflict between my father and Rido truly began a little while before I was born." She said.

"What? Before you were born?" Zero asked. Yuki nodded.

"Yes, during a short period of time, Rido had tried to be as close to my mother as he could. Once, he had tried to hold her hand, or even rape her, that is one of the reasons father banished him."

"Wait, rape? Hold on…you don't mean-?"

"Yes, it turns out that Rido was in love with my mother for a time. That is the only conclusion that makes sense to us. And why Rido sends his brides after me, so I can be brought to him. Because, as I have been told, I look like a younger version of my mother." Yuki sounded disgusted with this information. Zero didn't blame her. He couldn't even imagine being in her place. He couldn't imagine his uncle, having hated him since forever, having a fantasy about his mother, than realizing that he looked like his mother, than ordering his brides to come after him because he began to have an affinity for him, just because he looked like his mother. Just thinking about this made Zero want to be sick (I think _I'm _going to throw up).

"Anyway, that is about it about the background information on Rido that my brother and I have been able to comprehend." Yuki said, snapping Zero back to reality. Zero looked at her, again.

"Really? Well, do you know what he might be planning, other than imagining himself with the strangest of fantasies." Zero said. Yuki shook her head.

"No, not really. Although, I do know a place where Rido goes at some times. Other than just this one place, we can't figure out his true hideout." she said. Zero nodded, then he looked out the window, the sun was about to set.

"Well, where is this place?" He asked.

"It's an old mine just several miles from here, on the edges of the mountain that stands in the northern side. We call it the Devil's Crag Mountain." she said, pointing out the window, toward a large mountain that stood taller than the others.

"Well, I'll go take a look, maybe I'll find something there." Zero said.

"What? Are you crazy?"

"No, not really. Just a little, maybe. Or, I have another suggestion, if you are so adverse to this idea, why don't you tag along?" Zero said.

"I was just about to say that, because, even though you have courage, there is still the army that might be there, and the rest of the brides. And the worst part is that even, Rido himself may be there, too. And any of them could tear you to shreds." She said. Zero chuckled.

"Wow, you worry too much, darlin'." he chuckled.

"What-?!"

"Well, we're gonna have to get a move on. That sun will be completely down soon." Zero stood from his chair. Yuki looked out the window and she nodded.

"Good point...what about your friend?" she asked.

"I asked him to go to that library of yours, where one of your guards said that the records were kept. I asked him to do some more research on Rido and the rest of it. So, he will be pretty much preoccupied for the time being. So, let's get going." He said, leading Yuki out of the doors, and he grabbed his coat, which hung on a hook by the door, and he walked outside. Yuki jogged behind him to keep up with his long stride, while she shrugged into her coat.

Zero halted just a little ways from the gates that led into the castle, and he whistled loudly. White Lily ran up to him, only wearing her bridle. He stroked her face as Yuki whistled for her horse. She looked over at Zero as he stroked Lily's face.

"She's a pretty horse, and brave." she said, Zero looked over at Yuki.

"Yeah, I've taken care of her since she was a foal. So, she knows what kind of crap I get myself into." He stroked her fetlock. Then, there was a whinny as a deep red stallion ran up to Yuki, and he wore only his bridle. Yuki stroked the stallion's neck.

"Hey, Haru." she said softly. Zero looked at the stallion. Yuki turned to face Zero.

"I guess my relationship with Haru is no different than your relationship with your mare...um-"

"Lily. White Lily." He said, then, he grabbed a handful of Lily's mane and he vaulted onto her back with ease. Yuki patted Haru's nose, before she grabbed a handful of his mane, and she pulled herself onto his back.

"So, you lead the way." Zero said. Yuki nodded at him, and she turned Haru toward the left and she clicked and the stallion took off at a Gallop. Zero turned Lily after them, she caught up with the stallion easily.

They galloped toward the mountain in silence. There was a soft dirt trail that led to the mine, yet it was old, and it looked as though it hasn't been used in years. When they reached the end of the trail, there was a huge cliffside. Yuki slipped off of Haru's back, and Zero followed her.

"From here, we go on foot. There's no way a horse could make it up there." She said, and she stroked Haru's nose before she turned to the cliffside. Zero followed her. Yuki grabbed a small hole in the cliff and she began to climb up the cliffside. Zero followed her up. After a couple of minutes of climbing, Zero had gotten ahead of Yuki, Zero reached an edge, big enough for him to get up to. He climbed over the edge, and he sat down. There was the mine. He looked down at Yuki, who was still a couple of feet down from the edge.

"You got it?" He asked, she nodded, yet she looked tired, but she kept going. When she was about a foot and a half away from the edge, Zero bent over the ledge and he grabbed her hand. She looked up in surprise, but she let him pull her up and over the ledge. She sat up and looked up at him.

"Thanks." she said.

"Your welcome," then he turned to look toward the large cave opening. "So, that's it?"

Yuki nodded, "Yep, that's the Devils Crag Mine." she said. Zero chuckled.

"Well, they sure picked the appropriate name for this mine." With that, Zero walked into the mine with Yuki at his heals.

**Flicka798: So, how did you like this chapter? It probably wasn't as good as some others, but the story is going to get better! I will get started on the next chapter ASAP!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Why do you do the things you do?**

**Flicka798:**** Hi people! I have finally returned so I can update the story! Now, enjoy this next chapter!**

Zero walked into the mouth of the cave with Yuki at his side. He held a torch that was lying on its side on the floor of the cave, and he lit it with a match that he had in his pocket. The only sounds that they could hear were the sounds of their footsteps echoing in the cave.

They walked silently for a few minutes, before Zero spotted something on the cave wall.

"Hey, take a look at this..." He turned toward the cave wall, Yuki walking around him so she could see what was on the cave wall, and she took a step back.

There was a corpse of a young woman with her mouth hanging open in a silent scream, and her hands were pierced to the wall with nails through her wrists. And, blood covered her body. Zero also took note of the bite marks on the side of her neck, where some blood still poured out.

"Those slimy bastards...doing something like this..." Yuki whispered in disgust as she watched Zero look over the corpse.

"Hmmm...it seems that she hasn't been here very long...maybe less than a day..." he said quietly. Yuki only nodded, then, Zero turned away from the corpse, and he began to walk back down the tunnel, Yuki walking beside him.

For a few minutes of walking down the tunnel, they walked in silence, Zero only pointed out the blood-stains on the walls, and the droplets of blood on the ground.

"Some of the blood seems to be new..." he said to Yuki. She just nodded in agreement. Then, she spoke as Zero turned to go down the tunnel again.

"So...why...?"

Zero turned around to face her, his face confused.

"Well, I would imagine, since they are blood-drinking fiends-"

"No, no!" Yuki cut him off, "What I mean is, why do you do the things you do?"

Zero's eyes opened a little wider at the question, catching him off guard.

"You know my reason, so what's your reason for hunting these creatures?" she asked.

Zero looked a little taken aback by the question, then he turned from her, then, he said.

"Probably the same as yours." he said quietly. Yuki looked up at his form in the dark, the torch in his hand held aloft. She walked up to stand beside him.

"The same as mine?" she asked, then Zero shrugged.

"Well, maybe not exactly the same...considering you have known this monster for so many years, and you have known who caused you grief...you have all of the clues...I guess, that is about what sums it up..." he said, then, he began to walk down the cave again, Yuki kept up with him, probing him.

"I don't understand," she said as Zero led them deeper and deeper down the mine. Zero sighed before he answered.

"Well, let's just say I do what I do in hopes of finding a certain vampire...so I can kill her." Yuki gasped at this statement.

"What?" She said. Zero turned around to face her, his eyes murderous.

"It's because of her, that my family was murdered right before my eyes..." he growled through his teeth. Yuki's eyes went wide with shock.

"Now, Ichiru is all I have left...and it's my job to protect him..." he said through clenched teeth, his eyes somewhere else. Yuki was caught off guard by the name.

"Ichiru?" she asked. Zero looked down at her.

"Yes, my younger twin brother." Yuki stood still at this information. Zero spoke quietly.

"Ichiru was born weak and frail, so he gets sick fairly easily. And after our parents' murders, I swore to protect Ichiru..." he growled, defiance in his voice. Yuki's eyes shown with understanding.

"I see...I'm sorry..." she said quietly.

"It's okay," then, there was a loud crashing noise coming from the direction Zero and Yuki were headed. Zero ran down in the direction of the crash, with Yuki at his heels. Zero pulled to a halt at an opening in the tunnel, he leaned against the wall, pulling Yuki next to him when she was about to leave the tunnel.

"You don't want to do that..." he whispered.

"Why?" she asked. Then, he pointed down a large cliffside, but, it was in the cave and that there were machines all over the place, with a number of creatures managing them.

"That's why." Then, Zero noticed a tall figure giving orders to each of the vampires working the machines. He wore a large cloak, and he had dark hair. Zero turned to look at Yuki, who was staring at the man in obvious rage.

"So, that's him, isn't it?" he whispered to her. Yuki nodded.

"Yes. That's him. Rido."

**Flicka798: So, what did you guys think of this chapter? Good? Bad? Okay? Whatever? Well, I am going to get started on the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Plans**

**Flicka798: Hiya! Since school just started, I won't be able to update too often, but I will try to update as much as I can! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! I tried to make it in between Van Helsing and Vampire Knight! I hope you like it!!**

Rido stood quietly, watching as his servants worked on the machinery in the cave. He could still smell the sent of the woman he killed from the entrance; he could still smell her fresh blood. But, another sent caught his attention. Actually, two. One he knew, one he didn't. He followed the scent trail up toward the tunnel above them. He could see two humans. One was Yuki Kuran. Yet, he didn't recognize the man with her.

_That must be the hunter that Shizuka spoke of, _He thought. Rido chuckled darkly. Then, he spoke to his companions.

"Everyone, it seems we have guests, please bring them..." he said in a dark tone. This order caught Yuki and Zero off guard, and several vampires surrounded them, and they grabbed their arms, and they dragged them down the cliffside and to Rido's feet. Their arms being held behind their backs. Yuki breathed deeply as she looked up at her enemy.

"Rido..!" she growled. Rido chuckled again, then he looked back over to Zero.

"Are you the hunter?" He asked. Zero spoke.

"What's it to you?" he stated in a calm, yet fierce tone. Rido chuckled again.

"Hm...to have murdered Ruka with such skill, and kneel before me with a straight face...and an even heartbeat." he stated, as he listened to Yuki and Zero's heart's. He heard Yuki's accelerate, but the hunters' remained steady. Rido let out a low sigh.

"So, what is your name, hunter?" he asked, looking Zero in the eyes. Zero didn't answer for a minute, he just stared into the deep crimson irises of Rido's eyes. Then,

"...Zero Kiryu." he growled. Then, there was a gasp/shriek from above them.

"Kiryu?" Then, Shizuka came down and she stood next to Rido with a look of astonishment on her face.

"You are a Kiryu?" she questioned. Zero looked confused for a minute.

"Why? What's it to you?" he asked her. Then, the woman began to laugh darkly. Rido just stood silently.

"You mean you don't remember me?" she asked quietly. Zero just stared at the woman.

"Well, you did just attack the village earlier." he said. Shizuka laughed.

"No, no! You silly, boy. Don't you know me? We go waaaay back..." she said darkly. Zero's eyes went wide when the memory of the night his family was killed came back to him. His memories were vague because of the trauma, then, he began to see the woman who attacked them. All he could see was a shadow covering the woman's image, then, it became clear. Zero yelled out in rage as he saw Shizuka's face in his memory. He began to struggle hard against the vampires who held him down.

Shizuka laughed darkly at Zero's struggle, Yuki spoke now.

"You mean, that..._you killed Zero's family?!_" she asked in outrage. Zero stopped struggling, and he looked at the ground and his whole form shook with rage. Shizuka looked over at Yuki.

"Yes...you see, it was four years ago, and I was traveling through the area where Zero was living...and I was, oh, so thirsty-" she said sadistically, and Zero pulled against the vampires holding him back.

"You-!! It was you!! You took my family from me!! I will make you pay!!" He yelled. Shizuka laughed darkly at Zero's struggle. Then, Rido placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Shizuka, let me talk to them for a moment...besides, it's almost time..." he said. Shizuka smiled, then she transformed into the bat she was before, and she flew out of the cave. Rido looked down at Zero's hate-filled eyes as they followed Shizuka out of the cave.

"Now, now. Anyway, there is no time to dwell on these matters...there are also other matters to discuss..." he turned to face Yuki, who was looking at Zero in understanding, "Yuki, you have grown beautifully..." he said, and Yuki turned to face him, anger on her face, "Just like your mother-"

"Don't even mention my mother!! You betrayed her!! You never truly cared about her!!" she yelled, and she struggled against her captives. Rido nodded at them. Then, the vampires who held Zero and Yuki pulled them back to the far wall, and chained them to the wall. Clipping the shackles to their wrists.

"Now, now, Yuki...I never intended for that to happen." he said calmly. Yuki pulled against the chains.

"I don't believe you!! It's your fault that she's gone!! And father!! Your own brother, too!! You killed them!! All those years ago!!" she yelled, her voice echoing throughout the cave. Rido looked up at the ceiling, then looked back down at the two. Zero was looking at him, rage in his eyes.

"What are you planning..?!" he growled through his teeth. Rido chuckled.

"Why, to take what should have been mine a long time ago...and to find the one..." Zero was confused at Rido's statement.

"The kingdom never belonged to you! It never has, and never will!" Yuki growled.

"What do you mean...by 'the one?'" he asked the tall vampire. Rido looked astounded.

"You mean you have never heard the legend?" he asked. Zero was even more confused.

"Legend?" he asked quietly. Rido nodded.

"Yes, of the vampire ancestor...who was said to return." Rido said. Yuki snorted.

"That is just a stupid legend!" she said. Rido turned to her.

"Is it?" he asked. Then, he spoke surely,

"Yuki, the reason why I have asked my brides to capture you or your brother, and bring you to me, alive, was because I believe that the ancestor will be able to reappear in one of you. You two being royalty..." he said. Zero stood confused at the mans' statement. He was trying to reincarnate an ancestor?  
"Why?" Zero asked. Rido chuckled darkly.

"Because, he will be the supreme ruler of all vampires. Some have said that he could withstand any weapons that tried to destroy him. Even hunter weapons." Zero was shocked to hear that a vampire even existed, Rido continued."And, if a vampire were to drink his blood, they would possess the same power...but," he took a deep breathe before continuing, "It seems that, according to legend, he had fallen in love with a mortal woman." he growled. "Hard to believe, but the legend says that he fell in love with a mortal woman, who softened him...then, he did the most impossible thing imaginable." Rido growled through his teeth.

"Let me guess," Zero said, but-

"He let that woman drink his blood!! Only because she got an illness, and he wanted to help her!! So, he hoped that his blood would be enough to save the wench!!" Rido shouted outrageously. He began to pace, back and forth in front of Zero and Yuki.

"When the woman woke from the illness, with the blood in her, she went berserk...blood-thirsty." Rido continued in a softer tone, "Then, he had no choice, but to kill her. Then, after her death, he went to follow her into death." he finshed quietly. He didn't speak for a few minutes. Zero spoke now.

"And, now you are trying to forcefully reincarnate this legend?" he asked, Rido looked back at him.

"I wasn't finished, the legend also says that, before the woman drank his blood...it seems that she gave birth to his child...and hid it..." he said. Yuki gasped.

"Impossible..!" she whispered. Rido laughed.

"Says you...but, the legend says that the wench gave birth to his child, and gave the child to someone else...and that is all we know..." he said. Zero couldn't believe what he just heard. But, before anyone could speak, there was a shriek from the opening above them. And Shizuka flew in and she landed near a table several feet away. She was holding something in her arms. It was writhing a little. Shizuka set it on the table, then, she pulled some straps from the sides, and she began to strap the thing down. Zero could barely make it out, but he could tell that it was human, he seemed to be suffering from a transformation. Rido turned to Shizuka.

"So, it seems that he doesn't have much longer..." he said. Shizuka shrugged, then she revealed the man who was on the table. Yuki gasped.

"Kaname!!" she shouted, and Kaname looked over at her through deep red eyes. Zero saw fangs protruding from Kaname's mouth. Zero only knew that, Rido was correct. Kaname was on the verge of becoming a Level E vampire.

**Flicka798: Well, did you like what I put for Rido's plans? I didn't want to put it so he could try to bring his children to life. That would have been a pain to write!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10-Escape**

**Flicka798: I decided to get started on the next chapter now, the ideas are flowing like wildfire!! I hope you enjoy this!**

"No!! Let him go!!" Yuki struggled against the chain links on her wrists, causing the shackles to cut into her wrists. Zero looked around the floor, trying to find something that he could pick the locks with. So far, he couldn't find anything.

Rido, meanwhile, was ordering his servants back into the cave, along with his other brides, so they could start the machine. Kaname wrestled against the straps that held him down. He shrieked a horrible screech of agony and pain as the instinct tried to overwhelm him.

Zero still tried to find a small wiring somewhere on the floor, then, there was a blinding light from where Kaname was strapped down. It shown down over Kaname's form. Zero followed the light up, and the full moon was showing through a hole in the ceiling. Zero looked over at Yuki, who was looking down at the ground, her hair covered her face, and blood trailed down her arms from her wrists. Then, something caught Zero's eye. A hairpin in Yuki's hair shined in the moonlight.

"Yuki!" he whispered urgently to her. She barely turned her head in his direction.

"Yeah?" she said hoarsely.

"I need you to lean your head towards me..." Zero said. Yuki looked up at him now. Her eyes were swollen red from crying for her brother, who was now in the center of a circle of vampires, who chanted in latin.

"Why?" she asked.

"I need your hairpin so I can pick the lock on these shackles..!" He whispered urgently. Yuki nodded, and she leaned over towards Zero. He reached down with his hands, and he touched her hair, it was soft to the touch. He ignored that, and he reached for the hairpin in her hair. He pulled the small pin out of her hair, and he began to pick the lock on his wrist. After a minute of picking the lock, the shackle came loose. When his arm was free, he began to pick the lock on his other wrist. The shackle came loose after another minute of picking through the gears inside. When Zero was free, he went over to Yuki, and he picked the locks on her shackles. When Yuki was free, he pulled her to a corner.

"So, what are they doing to my brother?" she whispered urgently. Zero looked over at the vampires. They were still in a perfect circle around the table where Kaname was bound.

"They're using the power of the moon to awaken the vampire in him. Then, they are going to try to awaken the ancestor in him." he said. "Right now, they are doing the Ritual of the Moon." he said.

"'Ritual of the Moon?" Yuki asked. Zero nodded.

"Yes, it hasn't been used in over one hundred years, but, the ritual uses the power of the Moon to fully awaken the vampire inside of a human who was bitten." he said, "Only a handful of people still know it, but it can save Level E's." he said. Yuki gasped a low gasp.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked him. Zero turned to face her.

"Well, there's plan A, to wait until the Ritual of the Moon is complete, and Kaname will be a full vampire, in control of his blood-thirsty nature, get out there and start shooting the other vampires and get out of here. Or, there's plan B, which is fail completely, and we die..." he said. Yuki rolled her eyes.

"How does plan A sound?" she asked him. Zero nodded, and he looked back at the vampires.

"Good choice. Anyway, the Ritual of the Moon ends when the moon is no longer showing on the person the ritual is intended for. So, we have a few minutes." he said, looking up at the sky-light, the moon was half-way gone. Zero pulled his 'Bloody Rose' gun out of his jacket pocket. And he pulled a casing of bullets out of his pocket and loaded the gun silently. Yuki looked at his gun.

"You used that when the Brides attacked the village." she stated. Zero nodded.

"Yep, this baby can kill vampires with one bullet. And, she never misses..." he said. He looked back at Yuki.

"Don't you have a weapon?" he asked. Yuki gave him a look that said_, I'm not stupid, you know_. And she reached under her own jacket, and she pulled out two, silver daggers. Zero nodded.

"Stylish. Okay, we have about a minute until the Ritual is ended." he whispered. And they watched the vampires again.

"On my signal, we go out and start killing any vampire that gets in our way, except for your brother, and you can get him. Then, we bust outta here." he said, Yuki nodded. Zero watched carefully. Then, he looked back at the moon, it was almost gone.

"Now!" Then, Zero began to fire rounds at the vampires, and Yuki ran up to them, and began to fight them, running the vampires through with her daggers. The fight through the servants only lasted a minute, then Zero saw that the moon was completely gone. He ran up to the brides, and Rido. Then, he aimed at the bride with black hair, Yori, and he fired. The bullet went right into the back of her head. And her body dispersed in a second.

Rido looked over at Zero in outrage. Then, he nodded at Hari and Seiren and Shizuka. The three brides turned to face him, growling. Barring their fangs at him. Shizuka stood behind Hari and Seiren, letting them go first, he thought. When the two brides faced Zero, their fangs protruding from their lips. Zero just sighed a sigh of boredom, then, the bride with dark brown hair, Seiren's eyes opened wide as they looked to the side of Zero. Then, a long dagger flew past Zero, and it went into Seiren's chest, where her heart was supposed to be. She shrieked in agony before her body dispersed into dust. Zero looked behind him to see Yuki, standing over a pile of dust, one of her arms stretched out toward the dagger that struck Seiren. And the other was on her other dagger, holding it behind her back. Yuki stood up and she walked over to Zero's side.

"I'll leave Shizuka to you..." she whispered. Then, there was a large shriek. Yuki and Zero looked over to see Hari, Shizuka and Rido transforming into large bats. Rido's bat-form was a dark shade of red, and they flew out of the cave.

Yuki and Zero watched them fly out of the cave, then there was a groan from the table. Yuki sheathed her blades, and she ran over to the table.

"Kaname!" Then, she began to unstrap his body. Zero walked up to her, and he looked down at Kaname who was lying on the table. He was awake, and his eyes were a deep crimson. Yet, his expression was blank. Then, he looked up at Zero's face.

"What am I?" Kaname asked in a hoarse voice. Zero took a deep breath.

"You are a true memeber of the Night clan." Zero murmured. Kaname nodded quietly, then he looked up at Yuki.

"Sister," he murmured. Yuki just finished unstrapping the last strap, and she looked at Kaname's face.

"Brother, are you alright?" she asked. Kaname sat up on the table, and he cracked his shoulder.

"I think so..." then, he slid off of the table in a fluid movement. He looked over at Zero, then at Yuki.

"What is Rido planning?" he asked. Yuki looked down at the ground. Zero took a deep breath before simply saying,

"He is planning on creating a monster of hell."

**Flicka798: Soooo? What do ya think? I hope you liked this chapter. I kind of enjoyed writing it. Well, cya soon!!**


	11. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Beast**

**Flicka798:** **Wow, another chapter already! This chapter goes back to Kaname and Yuki, to find out what they have been up to! I also got some pretty good reviews and comments on how this story is similar to Van Helsing. Yes, that is true, but the whole story is going to be different. There are no werewolves! Just the different kinds of vampires from the Vampire Knight series!!**

The beast circled the small clearing, he was staring at his prey. A young man with dark brown hair and brown eyes was tied to a tree in the clearing. The vampire could hear and smell the human's blood flow through his body. It was making him thirsty.

Kaname looked through the trees for any sign of the monster that he knew was somewhere in the trees. He looked carefully, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. Then, he heard the crack of a stick from behind him. Kaname gripped at the ropes that bound him.

"Come on, that bastard released you for a reason…!" He whispered. Then, there was a roar and the beast leaped from the trees and he jumped into the tree that Kaname was bound to. When Kaname saw the beast leap into the tree, he pulled free of the rope, and he began to pull. That was when an iron cage appeared out of the cover of some branches, and it caught the beast inside.

Kaname was gasping for breath as he looked at the man-beast in the small prison.

"Kaname!" A woman called from the side. He looked over to see his younger sister, Yuki, walking toward him from the trees.

Ten years had passed since there parents' deaths and Kaname had ruled over their small country of Tetsuna, and he had also taken care of Yuki. From the small girl that he had carried in his arms, Yuki had grown into a beautiful young woman with long brown hair and deep brown eyes. Now, she was a brave fighter, who had the skill of ten men, combined.

"So, what do we have in there? A Level E?" She asked, looked in the cage. Kaname looked up at it, too.

"Probably, but, it seems to be quite new. He probably still has some of his human intelligence." Kaname answered, Yuki nodded in understanding.

Then, as the cage shook, Kaname noticed that a few of the ropes were rubbing against the tree branches, and they were about to come loose.

"Yuki! We need to dispose of the creature!" he said, urgency in his voice. "Before that thing comes loose and murders more innocent people!" Kaname said, then, Yuki pulled out a small, silver pistol and she aimed it at the creature inside. Then, she pulled the trigger. The bullet went right through the bars of the cage, and it hit the creature right in the back. After a few seconds, the creature's body turned to dust, and it fell through the bars of the cage and onto the ground. Yuki noticed that there was a chain that fell onto the ground as well. She went over to the pile of dust, covered her mouth with a cloth, and she picked up a small chain from the dust. At the end was a cross.

"What is that, Yuki?" Kaname asked from where he still stood. Yuki looked over at his face and she held up the chain. Kaname was shocked. The chain had belonged to the head priest! Yuki held the chain up to the sunlight, and she noticed faint blood stains on the cross and chain. She pointed them out to Kaname.

"Hm, they must have been from when he was attacked." He said as he held the chain up, then, he placed the chain around his neck and the cross rested on his chest. Then, there was a loud roar from above them. Yuki pulled her sword out, and Kaname pulled out a pistol. Then, from behind, a vampire rammed into Kaname's back and shoved him into the dust remains of the vampire Yuki killed.

"Kaname!!" She shouted, then, she ran her sword through the creatures' abdomen. The creature, whose skin looked red and its bluish veins shown through its skin, shrieked in agony. Then, his body turned to dust. Yuki sheathed the sword and she bent down over Kaname, who was lying face down in the dusted remains of, now, two vampires.

"Kaname! Kaname!!" She shook his body, he turned over with a groan. His eyes were red from getting some dust in his eyes. Yuki gasped.

"Don't worry, Yuki. I'll be alright-" Then, Kaname began to cough, Yuki helped Kaname to his feet, and she put his arm over his shoulders.

"I'm getting you back to the castle!" She said. And, as she walked through the forest, she thought desperately.

_Please, God…Help us…and let Kaname be alright…he's all I have!! _She thought, then, she felt tears in her eyes as she walked. The dusted remains can, if consumed over a long period, can make a human suffer a transformation. Then, she shook her head in defiance.

_No!! Kaname will be alright!! He will not transform!! _She thought as she reached two horses. They were both black stallions. She grabbed the reins of one,

"Kaname, do you think you can ride?" She asked urgently. Kaname nodded as he pulled his arm off of her shoulders, and he grabbed the other stallions' reins.

"Yes," He said, his voice, already, sounded hoarse. This worried Yuki.

"Good, because you need to get back to the castle so I can take care of you!" She said, climbing onto the stallions' back. Kaname struggled a bit before he got onto his stallions' back, he looked over at Yuki, but, her face told him that there was no stopping her. So, he nodded and he turned his horse and he followed Yuki out of the forest at a Gallop.

_Please, Lord. Save Kaname and let him be alright!! He's the only family I have left!! Please, give him…and all of us…your aid!! _She thought desperately in her mind.

Yet, what Yuki didn't realize, was that, crossing the sea now, was a legendary hunter on his way to give her his aid!!

**Flicka798:**** Well, this is the end of the next chapter! And, it was different from Van Helsing! Ha!! Anyway, I am going to get started on the next chapter, now. Hope to hear from ya'll!!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: The White Dragon Part 1**

**Flicka798: Hi! I'm sorry I've been gone so long, I've been so busy with marching band, and earning money for the Sugar Bowl, that I haven't found the time to get back onto the internet to update. But, I am back so I can tell y'all what happens next!**

Rido paced with an anger that could have set the world on fire, with every step he took the more his anger rose. And, to Shizuka, his anger was alive in the large chamber where they retreated back to. She stood silently in the center, while Rido was in front.

"It seems that the hunter does have skill..." Rido said in a contained tone. Shizuka didn't speak.

"Anyway, we need to get things moving...Shizuka! I want you to--!"

"Don't worry master, I have set the plans in motion." Shizuka said. Rido looked at her, a slight confusion in his eyes. Shizuka chuckled.

"I recieved word from one of the servants...it seems that 'she' has returned from her travels ahead of schedule." This news caught Rido off guard.

"What?" he whispered rhetorically, then he began to pace again.

"This is going to be a problem, considering that she is a hunter as well..." Rido said quietly. Shizuka nodded in agreement, then a small smile came to her lips. Rido noticed.

"What is it, Shizuka?"

"Well, I think I have a good idea to rid ourselves of that Zero Kiryu, master." She said. One of Rido's eyebrows raised up, Shizuka spoke.

"I sent Hari on a mission, just now...to go pick up someone."

"Who, Shizuka?" Rido asked. Shizuka grinned, her teeth shown white.

"Why, Zero's younger twin brother, master..." she said with a laugh. Rido shook his head.

"Interesting, Shizuka...so, this is the only family you left him with all of those years ago? The one person he cares about most?" he asked evilly. Shizuka nodded.

"Yes. And, Zero's whole family were hunters for generations...also, at the time, I heard a rumor that if there were twin hunters born, then one of they will fight each other inside of the womb, and one will be perfect while the other will be weak and frail." she said with equal madness in her voice. Rido grinned at her, and he turned away from her while he spoke again.

"You have a way to destroy Zero...while I have a way to make Yuki come to me..." he said quietly. Shizuka gasped in surprise.

"Master, do you mean that the Kuran brat that is a new vampire to this life..?"

"Yes...he will be under our control soon...but not yet...not just yet..." he began to laugh into the utter darkness of the halls of his castle slash fortress.

Yet, what Rido and Shizuka did not realize was that there was a girl outside of the fortress, posed on a sharp point of a mountain a few miles from the fortress. Her long black coat blew with the rainy wind, and her hair, the color of red flames blew around her face. Her deep blue eyes pierced daggers in the direction of the fortress towards Rido and Shizuka. Then, she looked below her, and she stepped into the open air and she began to fall from the point. She landed hard onto the ground, she stood tall and she stalked through the woods, towards Tetsuna.

**Flicka798: So, how was this chapter? I don't blame you guys if you didn't like what Rido and Shizuka are planning...I mean, Rido planning to take control over Kaname, and Shizuka is going to kidnap Ichiru...! It's just plain evil! Anyway, there is a new character in the story...you will meet her soon enough...well, later!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The White Dragon Part 2**

Kaname stood quietly as he listened to Zero and Yuki fill him in on what they knew. Rido's plan to reincarnate the vampire ancestor, Shizuka's involvement in the massacre of Zero's family, and the escape. When they finished, Kaname thought about their words in his head for a short moment before he spoke again.

"But, the vampire ancestor being reincarnated was supposed to be an urban legend." he said, his voice a little bit softer than it used to be. Yuki spoke.

"Well, from what we can tell, Rido and his brides and servants will bring out the ancestor in one of us, while using the Ritual of the Moon." she said.

"The Ritual of the Moon?"

"Yes. And they will also chant in latin to bring out the blood lusting creature of an ancestor to reality." Zero said. Kaname thought a little bit before he thought of something.

"So, Rido believes that he could bring out a vampire ancestor in a human?" he asked. Zero snorted.

"If he has the power to turn a human into a vampire, and he didn't seem to be lying when he spoke of his plan, I think he can try..." Zero said, then he spoke again. "We're going to need a bit more information on this...do any of you guys know anyone who might have information on vampires?" he asked.

"Well--"

"I can help..." A woman's voice sounded through the cavern. Zero pulled out 'Rose' and pointed it toward the directon the voice was coming from. And there, standing in the opening where Zero and Yuki came through before, was a young woman with deep blue eyes, and long flame-red hair was wet, and it clung to the sides of her face. She wore a long trench coat, and Zero noticed two sheathed long blade katana's at both of her hips. Zero also seemed to notice something white on the top of both of her hands. A forked like design.

"Kira? Is that you?" Yuki came to Zero's side, looking up at the woman in recognition and shock. Kira looked down at Yuki and she chuckled. Then, she lept from the mouth of the cave, and landed hard onto the hard stone in front of Zero, Yuki and Kaname, who stood up with a smile.

"Kira, it's been a while." Kaname said, walking forward to the woman. Zero lowered his gun as Yuki and Kaname stood at both of his sides, while the woman stood up straight. She smiled at Yuki and Kaname.

"I know, I keep getting held up from time to time...but, I manage." she said. Then, she looked at Zero.

"I don't think we've really met before..." she said. Zero shook his head. There was something strange about the woman. She looked human, acted human, but there was something vampiric about her movements. The way she was able to jump a twenty foot cliff and land on her feet like it was nothing, and the way her voice sounded. It was a bit of a soft chime-like voice, mixed with a normal human voice. This was confusing to Zero.

"You're not human..." Zero whispered. The woman's smile faded.

"Well, that's not very polite...as a matter of fact, I am human." she declared in a defensive tone, then she sneezed. Kira lifted her head back up, and her eyes were a lighter shade of blue, and fangs protruded from her lips, and her complexion looked a bit pailer, which made her hair even redder. Then after a couple of seconds, the human-like appearance came back to Kira's features. Zero nodded his head.

"Well...on my mother's side..." Kira said. Zero nodded again. Kira was only half human, half vampire. Now he understood. Kira was a bit confused about something.

"Well, aren't you gonna...y'know...stake me or shoot me now?" she asked. Now, Zero was confused.

"Do I have a reason to kill you?" he asked rhetorically. Kira just shrugged her shoulders when Yuki turned to face Zero.

"Yeah, Kira's a hybrid. Her mother was our mother's sister."

"She's our cousin." Kaname said. Kira smiled at him.

"Well, you seemed to have changed a bit Kaname...considering species anyway." she said. Kaname rolled his eyes. Yuki turned to face Kira.

"Kira--" Yuki began, but Kira held up a finger.

"You don't need to tell me, I heard you guys from outside." she said. Yuki only nodded. Zero looked at the top of Kira's hand again, he noticed the strange design on the top. It was curved like a snake, but it seemed to reach her wrist, but her trench coat sleeve covered it.

"Checkin' out my mark?" Kira asked. Zero looked back at the woman. Her eyes were calm, along with the rest of her features. Zero looked back down at her hand, he thinks he's seen it before, but can't place it.

"What is that mark?" he asked. Kira paused for a moment before she began to remove her trench coat, and let it fall to the ground. Zero inhaled a short breath at what he saw.

The small white mark on Kira's hand did lead to her wrist, and it had a replica on her other arm, which led up both arms, and it circled her neck like a white necklace. And, on her chest, was the design of a white dragon. The dragon looked like it was breathing white fire around her neck and down her arms. Now, Zero truly understood. He heard from Yagari that if a vampire hybrid was born, they would be born with a special mark them for what they were. Although vampire hybrids were on the brink of extinction, seeing one was rare.

Zero nodded at the woman. She nodded seriously, then she smiled.

"Isn't this thing just the coolest? I mean, a _dragon?! _Well, hence my own well known rep around here." she said as she pulled her trench coat up off the ground. Her sudden enthusiasm caught Zero off guard a bit. Kira draped the coat over her arm. She wore a black tank top and black pants and black high-heeled boots. Zero also noticed something else. She had two daggers strapped to her legs.

"You fight much?" Zero asked. Kira nodded.

"Just about all the time! I mean, what else do I have to do? It's not like I have anything better to do." she said. Yuki groaned.

"You haven't changed, Kira. Still taking fights with dangerous vampires like a game." she said. Kira laughed.

"I know, but still..." then, she turned serious again.

"So, what do you guys need to know?" she asked. Zero spoke.

"Just one question before we go into vampire folk lore...you said you had a reputation..." he said. Kira chuckled darkly.

"Oh yeah, a pretty big one too...you see, the vampires and humans alike all gave me a nickname...'The White Dragon'"

**Flicka798: So, do you guys like Kira's character? I know she seems a little strange, but I am going to try to put in a fight scene in here soon. I'll just say that Kira kicks ass! Anyway, cya!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: A Shocking Realization**

**Flicka798: Hey people! This is where we learn about vampire folk lore from Kira! How cool is that?! I ask you this; how often do you get to hear folk lore about vampires from a hybrid?**

"So, now you have a personal reason to fight them instead of just following orders." Kira said. Zero nodded his head. They were all back at the castle in Tetsuna, and Zero just finished telling Kira about Shizuka's involvement with the massacre of his family. Yuki and Kaname already told her about the vampire they encountered before, the one that they killed and how Kaname inhaled the dusted remains and how that started the transformation.

"So, you want to know more about the vampire ancestor, huh?" she asked. Yuki nodded.

"Yes, although it's just a stupid legend, we want to know more." Yuki said, Kira nodded.

"Well, some legends are true...okay. I might as well start at the beginning...It all started many millenia ago, with the beginning of time. When normal humans were created, people didn't know this, but this general fact was passed down through vampire offspring and spawn, and hunters as well...It started one evening when a young, handsome man went walking through the woods after hunting for his family. He was coming home with his kill, then he was attacked by something. No one knows what, but it bit him on the neck and drained him of all of his blood, and, some say, that the creature was wounded, and some of its blood got into the young man's mouth, and onto his wounds. He woke up two days later with a liberty he never had before...

"Yet, when he woke, he couldn't remember his name, he didn't remember anything of what or who he was, all he knew was that he wanted blood. More than anything. So, he began to stalk some animals and drain them of their blood. When he was satisfied, he felt a kind of power in him arise. He liked the feeling, so he killed animals by the dozens. Then, he caught the scent of a human on the air, it was a tastier scent than just regular animal blood. This scent sent him running for it, he caught the human and he drained him of his blood.

"This was when he realized that he could be twice as strong if he fed on human blood. Then, he got bored I suppose, and began to mark his victims with a certain sign, so they will know to fear him, that's another thing that he began to take pleasure in for a while, pain. Then, after a while, he gave himself a name, Gabriel. He called himself this because he learned that humans began to think that he was a creature of the devil, Satan, and they all turned to holy teachings and God for help in those times, so he named himself after the angel on God's left hand side. Then, he learned how to turn his own kind, and he turned them all loose on humanity for about five hundred years...until this all came to an end."

"What do you mean, 'came to an end?'" Zero asked. Kira looked at him.

"Just let me tell you this little bedtime story, Jimmy, without interruptions and maybe we will learn what happened to Gabriel." she said in a teasing tone. Zero growled at her mocking him, and calling him 'Jimmy'. Kira laughed before she continued.

"Anyway, Gabriel's turmoil-leading days came to an end, when he was trapped by some humans in Romania when he traveled the world. They chained him down, and they did a ritual that he did not understand. All he knew was that he wanted to kill the humans who dared to capture him. Then, the next thing he saw, was an elderly woman standing over him with some kinds of charms around her neck, and everything went black. Then, he woke in the clearing where he was captured, then, an onslaught of his own turmoil-filled memories came back to him. He thought that they would give him pleasure as they usually did, but this time...he felt the most biggest guilt ever. He wandered through the woods, trying to find his way out of the dark forest, but he was really trying to escape the feeling that he felt as the memories hit him. He couldn't understand the agony, he couldn't take it. He wandered away from humans and the ones he sired. He couldn't face anyone. He began to travel on his own for a few decades, hunting and feeding on animals. He also learned that gypsies trapped him and restored his human soul.

"What?" Yuki and Kaname and Zero said in unison. Kira shrugged.

"Yep, now I am almost to my favorite part of the story kids, so let mommy finish..." she said, Yuki and Kaname silenced themselves while Zero growled again at the teasing remark.

"Alright, it has been one hundred years since Gabriel recieved his human soul, and he began to help humans. In hopes to atone for what he did in his day. Then, one night, he runs into a young girl, who begins to attack him. She was in her late teens, probably nineteen, and she had the fighting skill of a normal man. Yet, Gabriel barely fought back, he wouldn't hit her. At all. Okay...I don't want to go into the boring details of them running into each other often after this encounter and soon becoming allies, seeing as they were on the same side. Gabriel also begins to teach her his own style of fighting, which improves her own fighting style. Then, after a while of fighting side-by-side, Gabriel begins to truly care for her. He couldn't place what the feeling was called. Then, he realizes that the feeling is called 'love.' It catches him off guard, but he doesn't care much. All he cared about, was that she was alright and that he was going to be around to protect her. No matter what. Then, the girl confesses her love to him one evening after they just had a big fight with some vampires. Then, they...y'know...do their thing...and it was more than perfect happiness for Gabriel. The happiest he's ever been. He never wanted that night or his time with her to end..." Kira let her voice drift off for a minute as she thought about Gabriel and the girl he loved.

"So...what, Kira?" Yuki asks. Kira turns to face her.

"Well...a short while after that...the girl began to get very sick...Gabriel tried to do what he could to help her, but...he knew what the problem was. Her belly was bulging, and she was in labor...she was also very ill. The pressure of the labor was harming her even further physically...then, after the baby was out...Gabriel gave the baby to the girl's sister, who always wanted a child, and he turned to tend to the girl he loved...she was dead. He was distraught with a crushing sadness. The one thing that brought him happiness was gone. He stayed by the girls' body for a while before he had an idea...he cut his wrist and let his blood go into her mouth...a couple days passed by and the girl awoke...but she was different...the difference in her scared Gabriel. She kept on persisting that he teach her how to hunt humans, and how she imagined their pain as she inflicted it...when he refused, she went off on her own, and she attacked the village people. Gabriel knew what he must do, he went out and he caught up with her, and he ran her through with an iron post. She turned to face him with her dying breath...then, before she disappeared, she whispered these words: 'Thank you, Gabriel. Know that I don't blame you for anything...not this...not anything...know that we are bound by one thread that will keep us together forever...nothing can change that...' and she disappeared in the blink of an eye...only the iron post fell the the ground at Gabriels' feet. He stood like a statue at the spot for a while...before he ran the post through his own body so he could be with her..."

Silence followed for a while after the long story, or love tragedy. Zero didn't speak, neither did Yuki or Kaname. Kira remained silent. Zero thought about the story again in his head, when he came to the part about the woman giving birth to Gabriels' child...then he gave it to the woman's sister...

"Wait...what about the infant?" Zero asked. Kira looked up at him.

"Well, it was given to the girl's sister--"

"Oh my God!!" Zero exclaimed. His exclamation made Yuki jump and Kaname to turn to look back at him. Zero began to pace.

"Earlier, you said the woman had the fighting skill of a normal man?!" he asked urgently to Kira, who nodded. Zero nodded in an urgent way, Yuki turned to face him.

"What do you mean, Zero? You sound like you know something about this." she said. Zero didn't answer this, he thought back to when he was young, Yagari had told him a story that was pretty similar to the one Kira just told.

"Yagari once told me an old prophecy of the hunters' fate...a fate that no one wants..." he said as he remembered more, "He used to tell me that a monster will rise in a hero...that was what the prophecy intelled...he also said that it was because a hunter family has the blood of the master in the line, no one knows which one, but a hunter family has it--"

"Zero, what are you talking about?!" Yuki asked, confused. Kaname remained silent as he listened to what Zero was saying. Kira listened too. Zero paced and paced.

"It all began with someone in the beginning of the line...well, beginning the tradition of becoming a hunter, that a vampire spawn entered the line...a woman in the family gave birth to the child of a vampire...and the vampire spawn's blood remains in the hunter family line today...Yagari said that the woman's sister, who took care of the child until the mother died, wouldn't say who the vampire was, or anything else, only that the child was forever hers..." he said in a whisper. Then, he haulted. "No one knew which hunter family it was..." he turned to face Kira. "Did the legend ever say what the girls' name was?" he asked. Kira got to her feet.

"Yes, it was almost lost...only a handful of people still know it...the girls' name was Sarah." Kira said with certainty. Zero inhaled a deep breath and he let it out as he lifted his head up so he was looking at the high ceiling.

"So...there were clues...but people were too stupid to look at them a bit more closely, along with the hunter family lines..." Zero said quietly. Yuki's confusion disappeared.

"You know who Rido needs to reincarnate Gabriel?!" she exclaimed. Zero took a deep breath before he answered.

"...Yes..." he whispered, then he looked down and he ran his hand through his silver hair. He turned to look at Yuki.

"Think about it for a second...the girl said to Gabriel that they were bound by one thread...think about it..." he said to her.

"I don't see how that is a clue--!" then, a memory came into her mind, of when Zero told her about his family's murder...his younger twin brother, Ichiru...his name meant 'one thread'. Yuki gasped.

"No...it can't be..." she whispered. Zero nodded.

"Yes...it's been there all along...thinking about it now, it's so obvious...Rido needs my brother Ichiru to reincarnate Gabriel!" he said with a growl to his tone. Kaname and Yuki were wide-eyed, while Kira had a look of seriousness in her eyes, because of the extremity of the situation that they were now facing.

**Flicka798: Wow! I can't believe I actually wrote this! But, I did! I can't explain how, I just did! Let me know what you think about the turn that the story has taken!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Race **

**Flicka798:**** Hello, my dear readers! I hope y'all are ready for the next chapter, because there might be a few more fight scenes from here on. Just to warn you. You'll also get to hear how Kira acts during a fight. Hope u like this new chapter! Gosh! I always hope people will like the new chapters that I decide to update! Well, I'm being honest! I want people to like my stories. I already have a few of my friends calling me a freaking genius after reading what I have of this story, and my first story, A Vampire's Heart. (If you haven't read that yet, read it!)**

Zero ran through the long halls of the castle as fast as he could, his heart raced in trepidation and agitation. Yuki, Kaname and Kira were right behind him.

"Zero, are you sure about this? I mean, Rido and Shizuka might have already sent Hari to get Ichiru to get to you!" Yuki said from behind him. Zero did not slow.

"Why do you think I am rushing to get there?! So I can protect my brother like I promised! I am not about to let bloodsucking bastards take what other family I have left!" he said as he burst through two large double doors, and he ran out into the cool air, and he went in the direction of the stables.

He went down to the end stall where White Lily stood. He pulled her saddle off of the floor, and he began to saddle her up for the ride. Yuki stood at the stall door while Kaname and Kira walked to where there horses were. Yuki watched quietly as Zero saddled Lily, quickly yet carefully.

After only knowing Zero for almost a day, she felt true respect and comradeship for him. He was a good fighter and he saved her a couple of times already (Awww!)They have fought against the vampire race for a while now, and their reasons for fighting them are similar, and they are tied, considering his family was killed by the bride of the vampire who killed hers.

Yuki was deep in thought when she felt a snort of a grassy smelling breathe hit her face. White Lily's face was down and looking at Yuki with soft eyes, Yuki reached out to let the mare sniff her hand. The mare sniffed at Yuki's hand, then she rubbed her soft, velvet nose into Yuki's palm. Yuki giggled a small giggle and she began to stroke the mare's face.

"It seems that she likes you. Which is unusual." Yuki was startled at Zero's voice, but she didn't stop stroking Lily's soft face.

"Why is her liking me unusual?" she asked. Zero grabbed a saddle bag from the ground and he began to strap it to the back of his saddle.

"Well, her temper is the problem. Some people from back home would call me her boyfriend." Zero snorted, "I am probably her father, considering the fact that I have nursed her since she was a foal." he said as he finished strapping the saddle bag to the saddle. Yuki continued to stroke the mare's head softly. Then, Zero came up with Lily's bridle and he slipped the bit into her mouth and slid the bridle over her ears and smoothed her mane out. Yuki spoke.

"So, do you think that Rido knows that your family has a connection to Gabriel?" she asked. Zero looked over at her, then he looked back at Lily.

"I am hoping that he doesn't, but I've been wrong before...but I do know that I am not going to let vampires take anything more from me." He said in a confident tone. Yuki nodded in understanding. She understood devotion like this, Kaname had sworn to their parents that he would always protect Yuki, even though she didn't need protecting sometimes.

"Don't worry, Zero, we'll reach Ichiru in time." she said in reassurance. Zero was shocked at her words for a second before he smiled a small smile.

"Thanks, Yuki." he said, Yuki smiled at him. Then, there was a shout from outside. Zero and Yuki ran outside to find Kira and Kaname arguing.

"C'mon, Kaname! You're a vampire now! So, we could get to Ichiru before the other vamps if you were to fly there!" Kira said. Kaname scowled.

"You know that I won't be able to fly for several more years, Kira! Besides, I don't want to be this flying, bloodsucking fiend!" Kaname said. Kira smiled at him.

"Oh, Kaname...you will never be that..." Kira said softly, Kaname smiled at her, until--"besides...you're too recognizable to attack this particular village! So, you'll have to start your own biiiig rep somewhere else!" she laughed. Kaname growled at her.

Zero walked up, Lily's reins in his hand.

"So, you guys ready to ride or do you need more time to discuss your blood reigning days?" he asked sarcastically. Kaname went to get his horse, ignoring the 'blood reigning' remark. Kira turned to face Zero.

"Yep! My horse is ready to ride!" she said, then, she turned away from Zero and she whistled loudly. A few seconds later, a large black stallion came running toward them. He stopped right in front of Kira, and he shook out his long, thick mane. Kira grabbed a handful of the mane, and she pulled herself onto the stallions' back and she sat up tall on his bareback.

"Say hello to Nightmare!" she said as she stroked the stallions' mane. Nightmare shook his long mane as she stroked his thick neck. Zero nodded at the stallion when Yuki rode up on the dark red stallion, Haru, fully saddled. Kaname came up on a grey stallion (dark skin with white fur, FYI!). Zero turned Lily around.

"Alright, let's go!" And they kicked their horses foreward into a fast gallop. Yet, what they didn't know was that Shizuka had just caught up with Hari on her way to get Ichiru. Now, they were all racing toward the same goal...Ichiru Kiryu.

**Flicka798: Now, I know y'all are going to hate me for stopping here, but I felt like stopping here, so get over it! I will get started on the next chapter as soon as I possibly can!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The Fight**

**Flika798:**** Hey, readers! Sorry about the cliff-hanger, but I was in a hurry to update more, so I did! Now, here is what happens when they reach the order! Hope y'all enjoy this!**

Zero's eyes were wide open in shock as he rode toward the large church. Some of the soldiers were firing rounds up at two, over-sized bats, who were shrieking in delight at their attempts. Zero heard a familiar voice shouting orders to the men as the two bats circled the top of the church. Zero pulled out his 'Bloody Rose' gun and fired a round at one of te bats. It hit the bride, Hari in her shoulder and went straight through to one of Shizuka's wings. They shrieked at the pain of the bullet. They turned in fury, and when they saw Zero, they shrieked at him. Then, Yuki came up behind him on her chestnut, Haru, followed by Kira and Kaname.

The bats shrieked at the sight of the group and they flew a little higher over the church. Zero kicked Lily forward, Yuki and the others followed. When they approached the armed men, Yagari stepped forward.

"Zero, what the hell is going on here?" he asked as Zero dismounted Lily and looked up to see the bats above them. He looked at Yagari.

"Those two are after my borther, Yagari. So they can reincarnate Gabriel." Zero said, Yuki and the others dismounted their horses. Yagari's eyes went wide.

"How? Thath's just an urban legend--! Yagari said, but Kira cut in.

"-That comes with a prophecy to go with it. You guys need to start taking some of your bedtime stories a little more seriously." she said, her voice mocking. Yagari looked at her puzzled.

"And, who are you?" he asked. Kira laughed, then she posed.

"I am Kira! The White Dragon! Also known as the coolest person ever!" she said in a proud voice. Zero rolled his eyes at her sarcasum.

"Kira's a vampire hybrid, Yagari." he informed him. Kira shrugged.

"I was getting to that!" she groaned, "You ruined it now!" she stomped and groaned like a small child while Zero turned back to face Yagari.

"Anyway, where's Ichiru?" he asked, then, there wa a shriek from above them as Shizuka and Hari came down and crashed into a third story window. Zero froze. Yuki spoke now.

"I have never been here, but Ichiru is in the room those two vampires crashed into...isn't it?" she asked quietly. Yagari, who was turned from them, looking up at the broken window, slowly nodded.

Zero ran as fast as he could up the stone steps of the church, with Yuki, Kaname and Kira on his heels. He reached the third story hallway, and he heard evil chuckles from the two vampires and a weak scream, coming from the other end of the hallway. Zero ran toward the door, and he kicked the large door open, and he pointed his gun at Shizuka and Hari, who were sitting on the bed. Hari was standing over Shizuka, who had a weak Ichiru in her arms.

"Shizuka!! Let him go!!" He yelled in pure rage. Shizuka's head came up to look at him, a calm look on her face.

"Zero Kiryu, your brother is weak...I am going to give him a gift...that will help him get better..."she said in a whispery voice. Hari got up in front of Zero.

"Miss Shizuka is going to save your brother..." she said, in what might have been reassurance, if it wasn't for the whispery tone in her voice. Zero put his finger on the trigger.

"I know you are lying!! Because all you have ever done is destroy lives!!" he yelled, his rage clear in his voice. Shizuka just shook out her long hair, and she turned back to the boy in her arms. Zero raised his gun to her back.

"Don't...you...dare...touch him...!" he growled in warning. Shizuka took a deep breathe, and she stood up from the bed. Ichiru was in her arms, he was partially awake, but his mouth was covered with red blood. Zero looked down, and saw that one of Shizuka's wrists was bleeding. Then, several things happened simultaneously. Zero yelled in rage as he pulled the trigger of his gun, Hari was about to stop him, but a sword was thrown into her abdomen and she turned to dust. Zero didn't pay attention, he began to shoot at Shizuka, who dropped Ichiru onto the floor and she just started to dodge his bullets.

After a minute, Zero was panting with pure rage as he looked at Shizuka, who was still standing with a delighted smile on her face. Kira, Yuki and Kaname came into the room, Kira holding a long dagger in one of her hands. Yuki bent down to where Hari's remains were, and she picked up the long sword that lay on the floor. She sheathed the long sword, then she bent down to Ichiru. Zero stared in rage at Shizuka as he reloaded his gun and pointed it back at Shizuka. She chuckled.

"So...you are finally going to kill me then, Zero?" she asked. Zero aimed his gun at Shizuka's heart, and he touched the trigger with his index finger.

"Goodbye, Shizuka..." he whispered, his voice saturated in hatred. Then, before he could pull the trigger, in just seconds, several things happened at once. There was a shout from Yuki and Kira, and Zero saw the dark form of Rido. Who spoke in a calm voice which, Zero or the others could not here what he said. Zero turned to point his gun at Rido, but he was hit from the side, and knocked to the ground. His body hit the ground hard and he skidded the floor, and his back hit a hard, stone wall. Zero jumped back to his feet, and he froze in place. Yuki, who was on her feet next to Ichiru, and Kira were froze in place as well at what they saw.

Kaname stood in front of Rido and Shizuka, holding the Bloody Rose gun in his right hand. Shizuka began to chuckle at the sight of their frozen forms. Yuki's eyes were filled with shock.

"Kaname...why?" she whispered in confusion. Kaname turned to face her, his back to Zero, and Yuki flinched. Her eyes filled with tears. Zero still stared at Kaname's back in confusion, then Kaname turned to face him. Zero took a small step back.

Kaname's eyes were a dark black, and his irises were crimson red. His face was filled with no expression...it was fearless...it was expressionless...but, it was full with one emotion...

Hate.

**Flicka798: I know what you are going to say. 'Why?! Why did you make this happen?!' Well, the answer is because I could do it...and that I just felt like it okay! Now, I'm going to get started on the next chapter now! Let me know what you think! **


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Control**

**Flicka798:**** Hello guys! I am soooo sorry about the sudden 'evil Kaname' thing, I already got chewed out by my two friends at school who have copies of the story, and they didn't like it either! But, I felt that it would create a bit more of an impact on the story! So, if you crybabies will stop haranguing me, I have a story to write!**

Yuki stood transfixed to the spot as she saw her brother stand in front of Rido and Shizuka with hate-filled eyes as he looked at her. His eyes were darker than the normal brown, they were filled with black hate, and crimson for the possible thirst he now felt. Yuki turned to Rido and Shizuka.

"What the HELL did you do to Kaname?!" she screamed at them. Kaname took a defensive crouch in front of them.

"How dare you speak like that to Master Rido and Mistress Shizuka!" Kaname said in a warning. Yuki stepped back at the tone in his voice. He had never used that kind of tone with Yuki. Yuki looked back at Rido, who began to chuckle a dark chuckle.

"Now, now Kaname, it's alright. Yuki is just confused right now." he said in a calm voice. He walked to the side of Kaname and he faced Yuki.

"Yuki, I'm afraid that Kaname now knows where he should have been...and he is now where he should be." he said in a calm tone. His calmness rose Yuki's anger.

"Answer me!!" she said as she grabbed the front of his cloak, "What did you do to my brother?!" she demanded. Kaname grabbed Yuki's wrists and he pulled her off of Rido, then, he pushed Yuki into the back wall. Yuki's head made contact with the hard, stone wall and she collapsed to the floor.

"Yuki! Are you alright?" Kira said as she bent down to tend to Yuki. Yuki placed her hand on the back of her head, and she looked back up at Kaname. Tears in her eyes.

"Kaname..?" she whispered in confusion as the tears trailed down her face. Kaname straightened his position in front of Shizuka and Rido. Zero stepped forward and he got in front of Kira and Yuki. Rido and Shizuka chuckled at him.

"Now, now hunter, don't you remember that your fight is not with me?" Rido asked in a light tone. Zero snorted.

"You may be right about that part, but my original mission was to help defeat you before the Kuran siblings were killed. My personal mission is to kill the murdering bitch who stands beside you!" Zero growled. Shizuka chuckled as Rido cleared his throat. Zero turned to face Rido.

"Now, let me guess, since Kaname Kuran is a vampire, the Ritual of the Moon was complete. All I want to know, is how you can still have the power to bind him to your every whim?" Zero asked.

"Oh, you silly boy! The Ritual was never truly complete!" Shizuka said, "There was one more thing that he required. Yes, he his a true member of the night clan, but that doesn't mean he gets to be free of his masters." she giggled in delight. Zero spoke.

"So...he needed your blood so he could be free of the binds you have on him. Am I correct?" He asked. Rido spoke now.

"Correct...my blood to be exact." Rido said. Yuki gasped in shock.

"Kaname needs to drink your blood to be free, again?" Yuki asked in outrage. Kira had her hand on Yuki's shoulder, and the other on Yuki's head. Rido nodded.

"Yes, but I do not plan to let him drink my blood willingly. He needs to earn it." Rido said in a casual tone. Yuki jumped to her feet, and she stepped in front of Zero.

"What do you mean by 'earn it'? Do you mean he has to work for you like a puppet, and if he does a good job, then you'll let him drink your blood?" Yuki asked. Rido moved his head back and forth.

"More or less." he said. Yuki glared at Rido. Then, there was the sound of the un-sheathing of a sword. Yuki and Zero turned to see Kira with her sword in her hand.

"I sense more vampires coming. It seems that somebody called them here." she growled. Zero turned to face Kaname, who still had the Bloody Rose gun in his hand. Then, Zero ran into Kaname, knocking him down to the ground. Kaname growled at him as Zero wrestled with his one-time ally, and he snatched the gun out of Kaname's hands. Zero stood up straight, pointing the Bloody Rose at Rido and Shizuka.

"Now, this is not the time, hunter. You still have all of those other vampires to kill...besides...we will see one another again...in Tetsuna. Come, Shizuka! Kaname!" Rido said to the other two.

"Yes, Lord Rido." Kaname said, then, he followed Rido and Shizuka out the window. Yuki ran to the window's edge.

"KANAME!! NO!!" She screamed as her brother fell down through the air. Then, two large, bat wings appeared out of his back and he began to follow Rido and Shizuka away from the church. (Kaname isn't in a bat-form. He still has his human form, the wings just appeared.) Yuki watched the three fly farther and farther away, until they disappeared. Then, Zero and Kira came up behind her, looking out the window in the same direction she was looking. Then, a dark cloud began to appear on the horizon.

"They're coming..." Kira whispered.

"Yeah, a lot of them..." Zero said. Yuki brought her head up, her eyes had new tears in them.

"Who cares about their numbers?!" she whispered, she turned around to face Zero and Kira, "It won't matter when we turn that horde into a big pile of dust!" she said as she pulled out her own sword. Her face was full of anger and determination. Tears went down her cheeks. Zero and Kira looked at her.

"You guys are not alone in this." Zero turned around at the sound of Ichiru's voice. Ichiru was standing erect. His body was thin, and his features were a bit sallow. But, his eyes showed fierce determination.

"Ichiru!" Zero exclaimed, "Are you okay?" he asked as he walked forward. Ichiru laughed.

"Zero, I haven't felt this good in a long time! I feel like I could run a thousand miles! Well, to narrow it down, I feel as healthy as...as a..." he struggled to find the right words.

"As healthy as a horse?" Kira asked.

"Yeah! And I feel strong, too! I think I will be able to fight!" he said in an excited voice. Zero was surprised at this for a second before he believed his younger brother. Normally, when Ichiru felt excitement at this level, he would be out in a matter of seconds. Now, he was breathing normally and he seemed strong as he said. Also, the effects of Shizuka's blood, Zero knew. The blood made his brother healthy. Zero wanted to figure out Shizuka's reasons for making Ichiru healthy, instead of turning him. But, this information would have to wait.

"Alright, you can help...just as long as you be careful." Zero said. Ichiru nodded seriously.

"Anything! This energy I feel, I need to get rid of it somehow. And soon! It's overwhelming! If I don't burn it off soon, I think I will explode!" Ichiru said, his excitement mirrored his tone. Zero nodded once, then he turned to the bed in the corner of the room. He went under the bed, and he pulled out a large trunk with an insignia on it. Zero opened the trunk, and he pulled out a cross-bow and a bag of arrows. He stood up and handed the weapon to Ichiru.

"I trust you remember how to use it." he said. Ichiru opened the bag and he pulled out a few arrows out of the bag, set them into place on the cross bow, and he pointed the cross bow at Zero.

"Come on, Zero. Who could forget how to use a cross bow?" Ichiru asked sarcastically, a smile lighting his face. Zero nodded at him, and he turned to Kira and Yuki.

"Alright, let's dust these things."

Then, they all ran out of the room, and into the main chapel, where some vampires stood, baring their fangs. Some in their bat-form, some in their human form. It didn't matter to anyone. Zero, followed by Ichiru, Kira and Yuki began to shoot, and stab, just killing anything that wasn't human. Everything that got in their way.

**Flicka798: So? How was this chapter? Good? Let me know! Later, dudes!**


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Guns and Roses**

**Flicka798:**** Hey y'all! Wat up? Y'all mad at me for being gone for so long? I know you are…no need to hide it! Well, if you guys are done, I have a chapter to write!**

**P.S.: Battle Scene!! And surprise scene!!**

The vampires seemed to come by the thousands. Whenever one was slain, another seemed to appear, as though the one before was never dead, just knocked out for a few seconds then stood right back up. Zero felt as though he would have blisters on his index finger the size of a pancake (sounds good. ). Zero ignored that as he still fired numerous rounds into the hearts, and brains of any vampire that he saw. He especially kept an eye on his younger brother, Ichiru, who was on the far side of the large chapel, firing arrows at the vampires. Kira stayed by Ichiru, slaying vampires, one by one with her long katana swords. And, after a short while, Ichiru and her started to count how many they killed...

"Hey, Ichiru! I got five already!" she had called to him earlier. Ichiru laughed.

"I'm on tweny-six!" He laughed as he placed an arrow in the bow. Kira turned to face him.

"What?!" she demanded. "How the HELL are YOU outscoring ME!!" she demanded in a loud shriek that echoed, but not for long, considering the noise that resounded throughout the halls. Ichiru fired another arrow.

"Twenty-seven!!" he called to Kira, who growled, and she began to fight a bit harder in agitation. (Hahahahaha! That is soooo funny!)

Zero and Yuki didn't keep score, they just fought and killed, fought and killed, and fought and killed some more. Zero was calm as he shot at the vampires, but Yuki was as angry as a hundred wolves combined. With every strike, she screamed and yelled. Sometimes, she even muttered Rido's and Kaname's names. Rido's in rage and hatred. Kaname's in longing and loss.

The fight sounded through the halls for, what seemed like, hours. Yagari had ordered his men to join the fight, so there were a lot of sounds that bounced off of the high ceiling. Zero's finger felt more than extremely sore, so he replaced his Bloody Rose gun for the sword that he recieved, with the ancient latin text. The blade shined in the sunlight as Zero began slicing any vampire that he saw. Then, as the sun began to disappear over the horizon, the vampire numbers had reduced drastically. Now, there were just ten vampires left. Yagari ordered his men to back down as there were about six left. Zero guessed that Yagari is letting them handle the rest. Kira sliced down one vampire, Ichiru shot an arrow into the chest of another. Zero ran his sword through one vampire, and he noticed Yuki standing against a wall, three vampires surrounded her. Her eyes showed no fear, only a fire of anger. Zero was about to go help her, but he sheathed his sword, and he walked over to his brother and Kira, who seemed to be bickering about the number of their kills.

"Well Ichiru, my final count is fifty-three!" Kira anounced proudly. Ichiru nodded, as though in approval.

"Hmmm...not bad, but not as good as to what I got! I got seventy six!" he said with pride. Kira's eyes went wide open in shock.

"What? But-but how?!" she asked breathless. "I mean, I'm the 'White Dragon'. I should have gotten the most." she said in false disapproval. Zero rolled his eyes.

"Calm down, you two. There are still three vampires left." he said calmly. Kira turned to face him.

"Say what?" she asked. Ichiru looked at his older brother in confusion. Zero turned his head over to where Yuki stood, the three vampires had her backed into the wall. Yuki had a trickle of blood going down the side of her face from one of her temples. She also had some blood trailing down one of her arms. Kira stepped forward, sword drawn, but Zero stepped in front of her.

"No, Kira. This is Yuki's fight, and her fight alone." he said calmly. Kira's eyes went tense, but she sheathed her sword and stepped back, still keeping her eyes on her cousin. Ichiru stepped up to Zero.

"Zero, she looks hurt, I'm thinking we should give her a hand." he said, reaching into the bag on his back so he could get an arrow, but Zero grabbed his wrist.

"Ichiru, her brother was just taken by force, right before her eyes. I think she deserves this fight, to vent her anger, even by a small fraction." he said, in the same level of calm as he used on Kira. Ichiru, like Kira, looked as though he was about to argue, but held his tongue, and he sat down, his back leaning against the wall. Kira turned, and she sat next to Ichiru. Zero stayed where he was, but he turned to see Yuki. Her position against the wall had not faltered.

The vampires glared at Yuki angrily. She glared right back at them, with an anger that they could never match. Then, one of the vampires took a small step forward, almost unnoticeable, Yuki's eyes flared, and she swung her sword over her head, and she shoved it through the vampire's abdomen. The vampire's face portrayed shock, before it turned to a pile of dust. The other two looked at their companions remains, before they turned their attention back to Yuki, who held her sword with her right hand. The tip of the sword was pointed at the ground. Her eyes were challenging, then she whispered,

"Bring it on, you bloodsucking bastards..." she whispered. Zero, with Ichiru and Kira, who sat behind him, remained silent.

Then, after several long seconds, the two vampires took a step forward, toward Yuki. She acted fast, and she brought her sword up, and swung it in a fast circle. The blade went through the vampires' bodies as though they were butter. Yuki's legs were spread apart, she held her sword still and with both hands on the hilt. Her head faced down, her hair covered her face. She began to pant as the two vampires evaporated in the air. Yuki was frozen in her position, panting in what was clearly, anger.

Zero stood silently for a minute, hoping that Yuki would stand up out of her pose, but after several minutes, her pose did not relax. He began to walk toward her, slowly and his steps barely made any noise throughout the quiet chapel. Zero reached her just a few seconds later, and he stood in front of her. Her pose still didn't change. Her sword was still at her right side, her hands on the hilt. Yuki's pants of anger did not slow either. Her hair still covered her face, which, Zero would bet, was covered in tears. Zero reached over to touch Yuki's hands.

"Yuki...it's alright...you can lower your sword for now..." he said in a soft, calm whisper. Yuki inhaled a deep breath and her hands began to losen, but not very much. Zero placed his other hand under the hilt of the sword, Yuki's hands had gotten cold as they gripped the hilt.

"Yuki, give me the sword..." he said in a calm, soothing tone.

Zero's soothing tone calmed Yuki some. The tears went down her face, and she knew that Zero knew about them, although he couldn't see them, he knew they were there. Yuki inhaled another deep breath, steadily, and she loosened her fingers a bit more, but she found that she couldn't let go of the cold hilt of her weapon.

Zero felt Yuki's hands loosen under his, but they did not release the weapon. Zero heaved a breath, and he began to weave his fingers into Yuki's, and he gently and slowly began to release her hold on the sword. When he had released her hold on the weapon, one of his hands held both of her cold ones, while his other hand had the cool (as in cold! it's cool too, but in this case, it's cold!) sword in the other, he held it out behind him, not taking his eyes off of Yuki.

His eyes were only for her, he could not focus on anything else, but the frozen girl in front of him. He couldn't even hear the footsteps aproach him from behind as Kira or Ichiru, he did not know which one, took Yuki's sword, and walked away. Zero placed his, now free, hand over Yuki's cool hands, and they remained still. (Oh My Freakin' God! I can't believe I am writing this! I am gonna die!)

After several minutes, Yuki's breathing began to slow and she began to grip at Zero's warm hands. She could not find any strength in her neck to lift her head up, her head was stuck in the position it was. Then, after a few more minutes, she felt mobility in her body again, yet, she chose not to move for a bit. Then, without warning, she began to shake as she remembered, again, the reason she could not get a hold on herself. The way her older brother, her loving brother Kaname had looked at her with such resentment...the way he had knocked her down, and made her hit the stone wall hard...the way he had knocked Zero down...the way he called Rido 'Lord' and Shizuka 'Mistress'. Warmer, fresher tears began to make their way down her face.

Zero still did not move, his hands still holding Yuki's. Then, he happened to noticed some drops hit the stone floor, the spot where Yuki's face was pointed towards. Zero gave her hands a gentle squeeze, hoping to settle her sobs as they began to sound through the halls. Then, Zero did something that he never thought that he would do. Zero stepped toward Yuki, and he released her hands and he wrapped his arms around her small, shaking body. Yuki continued to sob, then she lost her footing. Zero held on to her as he got on his knees, holding her in his arms, against his chest. Yuki, then, clutched at the front of his jacket, her sobs getting out of control. Zero began to stroke her hair in comfort. He shushed her quietly, hoping to quiet her. His heart began to throb at the sound of her pain. He pulled her a bit closer, Yuki continued to sob into his chest.

Ichiru and Kira looked at Zero and Yuki in a mixture of surprise and awe. Awe, because Zero just walks up to Yuki and begins to hold her, surprise because he actually did it! Kira thought of Zero as the serious type. Not really one for the sentimentality. Ichiru did not think much of it, he just watched as Zero tried to calm Yuki's sobs. Ichiru began to hope that he would be able to do the same thing.

Zero and Yuki stayed still, Zero still stroking Yuki's long hair in comfort, Yuki's sobs continued. Then, she spoke through her sobs,

"...I swear...I-...I will...get my...brother back!...I swear it!...And, I-...I will kill Rido!..." she said through her sobs. Zero held her close, his hand rested on her head. Zero felt his heart beat hard in his chest as he held Yuki. This was the first time he had felt this way around someone. This was the first time that he had actually felt committed to help a person. All he knew at that moment...was that he will help her! And, that he will not allow her to be killed.

Yuki's thoughts began to waver as she sobbed into Zero's chest. Her heart began to flutter. But, it was a pleasant flutter. A good one that she has never felt before around someone...

**Flicka798: All I am gonna say is; Oh. My. Freakin'. GOD!! I canNOT belIEVE that I just wrote that! I did not plan it! I swear to God!! But-now it's just--Oh my...just--just let me know what you guys thought, okay! Now, I am gonna go and scream! (walks away from computer and screams soooo loud, that a few glasses broke and the computer screen cracks.) (Kidding about the cracking part!) (walks back to computer w/ composure) Now that I wrote this, there will be more cute scenes between those two! I can't wait! Oh! And I will be adding a new character! I hope you will like him! Well, cya!**


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**** Mission**

**Flicka798:**** Hello…umm…I don't know what to say, except that I got a review from my latest chapter…and that it was a good one…so…I guess I should get to writing now…**

"So, they got away with Kaname as well?" Yagari asked.

"Yes, but he seems to be under Rido's control. So, he isn't doing it on purpose." Zero said.

Now, Zero, Yuki, Kira and Ichiru were down in the main basement, reporting what they know about Rido and Shizuka. Zero just finished telling Yagari everything that had happened to them the moment that he had arrived in Tetsuna to just now.

"Hmmm...I see." Then, he turns to face Yuki, who was sitting down on a bench holding a large brown mug. Her face was tearless, but her eyes showed sorrow.

"Princess Yuki, do you know why Rido is doing this to your brother?" Yagari asked softly. Yuki heaved a sigh.

"Well, I guess Rido is trying to make Kaname do things he doesn't want to do for mere enjoyment, so Kaname and I will suffer...as always." she said. Yagari nodded as Yuki took a sip of the liquid in the mug. She spit it back out.

"What the heck was that?" she demanded, holding the mug at arms' length. Yagari smiled at her.

"Oh, that. That is some tea that I made myself." he said, sounding proud of himself. Zero had to keep himself from laughing, Yagari's tea wasn't the best in the world. Yuki spat out what was left of the nasty liquid onto the floor.

"When? And how?" she asked outrageously. Then, Kira came up, holding a similar mug and she handed it to Yuki.

"Here you go, Yuki!" she said enthusiastically. Yuki looked up at Kira, then she took a sip of the tea, then she drank it all in a single gulp. Kira giggled. Yuki handed her the mug.

"Thank you, Kira. Your tea is still as delicious as ever, when will you tell me your secret?" Yuki asked.

"Nope! This is a tea recipe that my mother showed me, and me alone! Oh!" She ran back to where she was and she grabbed another mug off of a table where Ichiru stood, with a similar mug in his hands. Kira walked up to Zero with the tea. Zero thanked her, then he took a sip, and he (figuratively)inhaled the rest of the tea, leaving the mug empty with just a few drops on the sides. Yagari looked a bit disappointed, then he cleared his throat and spoke again.

"So then, I'm thinking that you should get back to Tetsuna. Before Rido and Shizuka wreak havoc on the village's people...or what's left of them." he said. Kira nodded in agreement.

"I'm with the 'not-very-good-at-making-tea' guy!" Kira said, raising her hand up in the air. Yagari growled at her.

"You don't have to tell me that! I am not going to leave Kaname under their control!" Yuki said, standing up from her seat. **Ichiru** stood up next to Kira.

"I'll go too! Zero and I already discussed that it would be best if I remain with them." he said. He sounded excited at the concept of going on his first mission! It was thrilling to him. Zero nodded at Ichiru.

"And I have a score to settle with Shizuka! Ichiru and I both!" he growled through his teeth. Yagari nodded at him.

"Alright then, how soon will all of you be prepared to leave?" he asked.

"Immediately." Zero, Yuki, Kira and Ichiru said in unison. Yagari was confused, but he didn't question them.

"Okay, I believe you should get a move on." he said, turning from them. Zero led everyone outside of the church, where Nightmare-Kira's black stallion-Haru-Yuki's chestnut stallion-White Lily (if you don't know who she is, I will KIILLL YOOUU!) and a deep dappled gray mare stood in a line outside. Waiting. Kira went up to Nightmare, while Yuki stroked Haru's nose, and Zero walked to Lily's side. Ichiru went to the dapple gray mare.

"Hey there, girl. It's been a while since I was last out to see you." Ichiru said to the mare, whose ears went up at the sight of him. She put her nose into Ichiru's face affectionately, blowing in his face through her nostrels. Ichiru laughed as the mare blew in his face. Zero smiled, it's been several months since Ichiru had even the strength to go out to the stables to see his beloved mare, Rosalie. (borrowed the name from Twilight! LOVE THAT SERIES!!)

"Alright girl, you ready for a road trip?" he asked Rosalie. The mare snorted as though she was saying, 'Bring it! Just as long as you don't collapse, I'm all for it!' Ichiru patted her between the eyes, before he grabbed a handfull of Rosalie's mane and he stepped into the stirrup and pulled himself up onto the saddle. Rosalie stood up straight, proud to have Ichiru on her back. Zero knew that she would take care of Ichiru, so he didn't worry about her.

Zero, followed by Yuki and Kira, stepped into the stirrup of the saddle, and mounted their horses, then they all turned from the church and began to gallop in the direction of Tetsuna...

**Flicka798: I know that this chapter was kinda boring, but in the next chapter, I am going to introduce a new character! I hope you guys will like him! He is A-mazing!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:** **Sora**

**Flicka798:**** Look, I know you guys may be thinking that I am stealing the name of the new character's name from the video game, but this character wasn't my idea! Neither was Kira! Sora and Kira are creations of my friends, David and Maddy at school! If you have complaints, take that up with them! Now, I am going to write this next chapter!**

The rain beat down hard on the world through his deep amber colored eyes. Sora watched as the rain covered the whole world below him from the cliff. The world was also covered in darkness of the night, but Sora was able to see as though it were day time. Sora was tall with short, spikey silver hair and he was wearing a long trench coat that blew in the night wind (hehe...i made his hair spikey...hehe).

Sora's target was a small orange dot among the dark cover of a forest. An encampment.

_Yeah, an encampmenet of vampires!_ Sora growled in his thoughts. He has been hunting these vampires for a week, killing a few of the dumb ones, who tried to fight him. To no avail. Sora looked up at the night sky, rain drops coming down on his face, the moon was under the cover of clouds.

_I'm pretty strong without it...but still...using it while fighting a whole group of vampires is best..._he thought. Then, he looked back down at the orange dot. It was flickering in the trees.

_Well...some innocent people can sleep at ease tonight..._Sora thought, then he stepped off of the cliff, and he fell about a hundred feet, down, and he landed on his feet, making a huge splash as he landed in the puddle.

The vampires heard the splash, and they began to run towards to where he was, Sora jumped to his feet, and he ran to his right, then he ran to a large oak, and he leapt into a tall branch, hiding in the cover of the canopy of leaves. He watched as the vampires squabbled under him. Trying to find the source of the sound. For several minutes, Sora remained silent in the tree as the vampires began to head back to the encampment. When he was clear, Sora decided to cut through the tree branches to the encampment. He ran lithely across the branches as though they were sidewalks, jumping from tree to tree, and running from branch to branch. He even dove toward a certain branch, and he swung himself into the air, did a flip and landed square on the branch of a tree that stood right on the edge of the vampire's encampment.

_Bingo..._he thought as he watched the vampires sit at their fire.

"So, what was the rukus?!" demanded one.

"Just a stupid coyote or a wolf!" growled another.

_Close...close..._

Then, Sora jumped from the branch, and he landed near the fire, but didn't touch it. The vampires hissed at the sudden movement, then when they saw the intruder, they began to growl at him. Sora only looked at them.

"What are you doing out here, fleshling? You know it's not safe...especially inyour position." growled one vampire, an evil grin on his face at the thought of a decent meal. Sora just glared at him.

Then, a vampire leapt at Sora from behind. Sora heard its approach, and he dropped to the ground, and he grabbed a torch shaped piece of wood from the fire and he touched the flames to the vampire who leapt at him, whom was still airbourne as he lit it aflame. The vampire hit the ground and skrieched in agony as the flames began to eat away his flesh. Bit by bit. Sora stood up to face the other vampires, he did a quick count. There were twenty five.

_Ha...this is going to be quite the soiree..._Then, the other vampires leapt at Sora who held his torch at the ready.

Five minutes later, Sora stood where he landed earlier, panting a bit. The encampment was empty, except for the fire that the vampires had lit, and the smaller fires that were surrounding it. Sora threw his torch back into the main fire, and he looked up at the night sky. The rain still fell heavily, the sky was still as empty and black as before. Then, some clouds began to move from the wind, and they revealed the full moon. Sora grinned.

_Yes..._

Then, there was silence in the night. Not a creature stirred in the forest. Several minutes passed by like hours, or even years, then...

There, standing on the high cliff where Sora stalked the vampires, was a large silvery wolf. Its white teeth shown in his mouth. Then,he looked up to the moon, and Sora filled the night with his song...

**Flicka798: Sooo? What do you think of Sora? I like him! He is SOOO Cool! He is beyond cool! Anyway, let me know what you guys think of him! CYA!!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Jokes, Stars and Confessions**

**Max:**** Hey! Wat up?! I just started a new Fanfic! A Twilight Fanfic! So, I will try to update as much as I can on both! So, don't get impatient, please! I will do my absolute best on these! I also have my account on fictionpress, too, so…don't chew me out in the future. Oh! CS stands for cute scene! You'll see!!**

"Okay, Mr Genius! How about this one? How do you drown a blonde?" Kira asked Ichiru.

"Easy! You glue a mirror to the bottom of a pool!" he said. Kira snapped her fingers.

"Darn it! Your turn! Throw one at me!" she insisted. Ichiru thought for a minute, then

"What do you call an onion-donkey cross?" he asked. Kira thought for a minute, then,

"Oh! You get a piece of ass that'll bring a tear to your eye! I've heard that one!" Kira said, sounding defensive.

"Hey! I didn't mean anything against you Kira!" Ichiru defended himself. Kira smiled at him.

"I know, Ichiru...So, are Yuki and Zero still over down by the spring, talking?" she asked. Ichiru nodded.

"Yes, they are." He looked over his shoulder from the fire that they sat around.

Zero and Yuki sat on the slope of the hill, watching the stars.

"So, when all of this is over, what do you plan to do?" Zero asked Yuki. She looked over at him, then she shrugged her shoulders, and looked back up at the starry sky.

"I don't know to be honest...I'll probably just have to resume my duties as a member of the Royal Family, and not a warrior..." she said, not taking her eyes off of the skies. Zero looked up at the skies...thinking about what he will do.

"So...how about you, Zero? What will you and Ichiru do when Shizuka is dead?" Yuki asked. Zero shrugged.

"To tell the truth...I never even thought about it...it's because I haven't had any leads for so long, I guess that I would be doing this hunter business forever. But, now that I know where I can find Shizuka, my mind has been going through a number of questions...considering the future..." Zero said. Yuki nodded, but still watched the starry sky. The full moon shown in the center of the sky above them. Yuki laid back on her back.

"You know, Kaname and I used to do this all of the time...when we were young...when our parents were still alive, we would look for constellations and comets, even. We would keep score on who could find the most." Yuki smiled at the memory. Zero looked down at her.

"How did that work?" he asked. Yuki sighed, the smile still on her face.

"Well, with every constellation, it was five points. A comet was ten points. A shooting star was twenty. Also, we even had a meteor on the list for fifty." Yuki giggled at the memory, "Kaname and I used to battle it out against our parents and he would sometimes claim that he saw a meteor the size of the world coming right at them, and he would claim one hundred thousand points." Yuki laughed. Zero frowned.

"But, our parents knew there was no meteor, so he made us lose all of the points we gained, just for his lie. And a debt."

"Why?" Zero asked, confused.

"Kaname said that his meteor was worth, only 100,000 points...and we only had fifty." she began to laugh again, Zero stifled a chuckle too.

"Oh! I miss those times...where we would play that game. We used to call it 'Starry Night'. It was our favorite pastime as a family. Then, after our parents died...well...we haven't played it in so long..." Yuki sighed.

"Hey! I think I see the big dipper! That would be five for me!" Zero said, pointing up at the sky. Yuki looked up, and sure enough, was the Big Dipper. Yuki laughed, and she sat up.

"Okay, you wanna challenge the champ? You're on!" she said. Then, they began to point out the constellations.

Yuki and Zero played 'Starry Night' for what seemed like hours. They had a tie of 70 points each. They were laughing very hard. Zero was lying on his back, and Yuki was next to him, lying on her side. They were both breathing deeply from their laughing fits.

"You know? I think I like this game." Zero said. Yuki looked up at him.

"Well, you sure know your stars! Where did you learn?" Yuki asked. Zero smiled.

"My training was intense, so Yagari recomended that I know the stars and constellations and where to find them, in case I got lost. And, after I got it down, I haven't gotten lost. Ever! The stars are the best compass." he said. Yuki nodded.

"Impressive." she said. Then, she laid down on her back, her arm close to Zero's.

They laid quietly on the cool grass of the slope, just looking at the stars, just as they had before. Then,

"Zero?"

"Hmm?"

"What would you do...if...Ichiru was taken from you?...I mean, like...Kaname?" Yuki asked quietly. Zero looked down at her. Her eyes showed misery and sorrow. Zero propped himself up on his elbows.

"Well...I would hunt down the people, or things that took him, get him out of their sick hideout, and make them wish they had never existed!" he said. Yuki closed her eyes and nodded to herself. Then, Zero saw a small tear in her eye.

"Yuki?" he asked concerned.

The tears began to go down her face, slowly. Yuki was so tired of crying, but she couldn't help it, now that Kaname was in the hands of their worst enemy.

"It's just...that...Kaname was always protecting me...he always worried about me...we both worried about each other...we never thought that...any one of us would be taken into Rido's crypt!" she said, the tears came down, and dripped down to her shirt. Zero looked at her eyes, and he placed one of his hands softly on her shoulder.

Yuki looked over at Zero, her eyes showed something...she was keeping something bottled up inside.

"There's something you're not telling me, Yuki. Something that you and Kaname planned since the beginning." Zero stated. Yuki's eyes shut tight. He was right. She nodded.

"You see...it was while he was still ill...it was the evening before you arrived in Tetsuna...we made an agreement...that if either one of us...would be turned into a vampire...then...the other would...have to....have to--!" she began to cry choked sobs. Zero kept his hand on her shaking shoulder.

"-Finish the job. Correct?" he asked softly. Yuki nodded, her face in her hands. Zero pulled her into his arms, just as he had when they were in the cathedral in the order. Yuki began to cry into his chest. (Okay! prepare yourselves for a CS!!!)

Yuki cried into Zero's chest, but her sobs didn't last as long as they did when they were at the order. As she began to calm down, she felt that she didn't want to move away from him. She wanted to stay in his arms, she felt comfortable, safe and warm. Yuki's heart thudded in her chest, and she could feel something moving under Zero's shirt. She placed her hand on his chest. It was his heart! It was probably beating as fast as a hummingbird's wings, just as hers was!

Zero felt Yuki's hand over his heart as he held her against him. He didn't want to let her go. He wanted to hold her forever in his arms.

"Zero...?" Yuki asked softly from his chest. Zero cleared his throat.

"Yes?" he answered in the same soft tone. He still held her, she didn't move away from him. (AWWWWW!!!!!!)

"...Do you think...that we will...live through this?" she asked. Zero froze. He had thought about that! But, he didn't dwell on it for long.

"Don't even think that! We will live!" he said surely. Yuki sniffled, but the tears didn't come.

"Because...I don't want anyone else to die...I can't even imagine it...I don't want you to die either." she said softly. (OH...MY...FREAKIN'....GOD!!!!!!!!!) Zero's heart moved even faster in his chest as the words escaped her lips, if it could go any faster. Then, he sighed.

"I don't want you to die either, Yuki." he said.

Yuki froze, just as Zero had at her words. Then, she tried to look up at his face. His deep purple eyes looked softly into her dark chocolate ones. Then,

Yuki placed one of her hands on the side of Zero's face (*grasps head in face, trying to rip it out*), her fingers also touched some strands of his silver hair (*squealing at top of lungs*). Zero placed his hand over hers, holding her hand on his face.

Then, Zero started to come down, his face getting closer and closer to hers, she didn't object, then he pressed his lips to hers. Yuki had her eyes closed, and she raised her hand and she tangled it into Zero's hair, and she felt one of Zero's hands go into her hair, and the other around her waist.

Zero held Yuki close, deepening the kiss, so it would last longer. He had one of his hands, tangled into her long hair, some of the soft strands in between his fingers. All he knew, was that he did not want this moment to end.

Yuki had her hand tangled in Zero's silver hair, and the other on his chest. His heart was going haywire as he kissed her. Just as hers was. Yuki felt that she didn't want this night to end...all she wanted was this time with him...as he wanted his time with her...they didn't want it to end...

**Max: Okay, talk about the BEST FRIGGIN' SCENE IN THE WHOLE FRIGGIN' STORY!!! I cannot believe that I wrote that! I just can't!!!!! Let me know how YOU guys felt about this chapter! Cya soon! (runs from computer screaming and rushing to print the chapter.)**


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Confrontations**

**Max:**** Hello, my dear readers! If you are mad that I have been gone for so long...hehehe. I meant for that to happen! And that I have other stories to update on and my computer has been broken, I have a whole list of excuses! But, I will get started after what happened last chapter! Review, please!**

"Who are you?!" The shouting voice made Yuki sit up with a squeal. She noticed that the sun had barely risen, and she felt a jacket over her. It was too big to be hers. It was Zero's. Then, the memories of the previous night came back to her. The talk, 'Starry Night', the confession...the kiss.

"Answer me!" Zero's angry voice yelled. Yuki got up to her feet, and she ran to the direction of the camp, and she froze in her tracks. A large man, about Zero's height, wearing a long, black trench coat, who looked as wild as an animal. Then, something about the man caught Yuki's attention. His silver, spikey hair...it looked familiar.

Zero pointed his 'Bloody Rose' at the intruder's chest. The dark man put his hands up.

"Calm down, I'm not here to fight any of you." The man said huskily.

"Then, why won't you tell us who you are?" Zero said.

"Sora?" Yuki said from his left. She looked shockingly at the man, as though in recognition. The man looked confused, then his eyes widened in surprise.

"Yuki? Holy crap." Then, Yuki went over to him and she gave him a hug, while he just wrapped one long arm around her shoulders. Zero was shocked. Yuki stepped away from the man.

"Oh my god. Sora? It's been a long time! What have you been up to?" she asked. The man called 'Sora' shrugged.

"Uh, the usual. Hunting vampires, running the country-side." he said. Yuki was smiling up at him, he just returned her smile.

Zero was confused that they knew each other, then...

"Sora..." he whispered. He suddenly remembered him. The man he knew since they were kids...and they were allies, but they weren't close friends. Sora looked at Zero.

"Zero Kiryu? You haven't changed." Sora said in a dark tone. Zero cracked a smile.

"I should say the same to you." Zero said. Yuki looked at them both.

"You know each other?" she asked. Zero nodded.

"We've had dealings in the past..." Zero said.

"And don't forget, that we trained together for a time." Sora said, a smile appearing on his face. Zero grinned evilly. Yuki's eyes went wide.

"What?" she asked incredulously. Then, Kira and Ichiru walked up. They noticed Sora as he noticed them.

"Ichiru, it's a surprise to see you up and about." Sora said, then he turned to Kira. "I'm not that surprised to see you around her, Kira. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised about anything that you do." Kira growled at his comment.

"Shut up, Sora! I'm not the one who has to rely on the moon whenever I am on the hunt!" she argued. Sora just laughed.

"You haven't changed much...except for the hair. Love it." he grinned. Kira just nodded.

"Thank you, yours hasn't changed, but it looks good." Kira said.

"Yes, I know....it has always been better than yours!" Oh, snap...

"At least my hair doesn't point to the freakin' sky!" Kira retorted.

"At least my hair points to where I'm headed when I die...hmm, luck just isn't with you." he said as he looked at her long, flame-like hair. Kira began to growl.

"Okay, okay! Stop fighting, guys!" Yuki said, and she turned back to Sora, "So, what brought you all the way down here, Sora?" she asked.

Sora just shrugged, "Just joyriding. Just hunting vampires. Just wandering. Just....just....just doin' stuff!" he said happily. Yuki rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, where's Kaname? I don't see him." Yuki's face went blank as he mentioned her brother.

Zero noticed Yuki's face and he went silent as he remembered that day. Rido possessing Kaname, Kaname protecting Rido...

"Kaname was taken by Rido...he's possessed." Kira stepped forward. Sora was shocked.

"What? How did that happen?" he asked. Yuki sighed.

"Well, we might as well explain what we know, so we all will be on the same page...that is, if you'd like to help me find my brother, Sora." she said.

Sora nodded.

"Sure, I could use a decent brawl."

**Max: Well, there's this chapter, I know, it's short, but I will get to writing the next chapter as soon as I can. Cya!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 22: ...Agony**

**Max:** **Hey! I'm sorry for being gone for so long, but I have returned to start another chapter of this epic adventure! Enjoy!**

"So, Rido took your brother, and is now controlling him because Kaname inhaled the remains of a dead vampire, and is now a servant. Right?" Sora asked.

"Yes. The bastard took my brother and he will regret it!" Yuki growled between her teeth.

Now, Yuki, Zero, Kira, and Ichiru just finished telling Sora what has been happening. He sat quietly on the log, thinking about their dilemma.

"So, you guys also think that he may be after Ichiru...so they can reincarnate the vampire ancestor, Gabriel? That is a lot to swallow in one bite. A lot of blood to take in from just one victim. Too much--"

"Enough with your crazy comparisons, Sora! This is a serious situation!" Yuki said urgently. Sora put his hands up in defense.

"Sorry! I know it's serious, hence, the reason for my comparisons." Sora put his hands down and turned serious, "So, do you guys know where Rido took Kaname?"

"Rido was saying that we'll meet again in Tetsuna. I think he is going back to that lair, where they had the Ritual of the Moon on Kaname before." Zero said. Yuki nodded in agreement. Sora nodded.

"So, do you guys have a plan? I mean, going into the lions' den without a strategy is normally pretty dang stupid, wouldn't you agree?" Yuki, Zero and Kira rolled their eyes, while Ichiru (excited by the concept of fighting the enemy) just nodded.

"Yeah, that would be pretty stupid and reckless. Do you have any ideas on how we could get in there, Sora?" Ichiru asked calmly. Sora looked at Ichiru, and gave him a mischievious, evil grin.

* * *

A few minutes later...

* * *

"...Are you sure that this plan will work?" Yuki asked. Sora snorted.

"Come on. It's one of the most classic of ideas in the history of classic ideas, Yuki. Since when did you learn to doubt...moi?" Sora asked while Yuki rolled her eyes. Zero nodded.

"It doesn't sound too bad, actually. This might actually work." He said running a hand through his hair. Kira was busy playing with a few strands of her fiery red hair.

"Yeah, it's an okay plan. It's the only plan we got." She said, not looking at anyone. Ichiru just nodded with a smile on his face.

"Well, it seems that we have no choice. We have to stick to this plan, or I'll lose my brother--not just for a while--but for forever." Yuki said. Zero turned to her and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Yuki. We'll get your brother back." He turned to look at Ichiru. _I also need to protect Ichiru. He is what Rido needs for the reincarnation._

"Oh my God!" Kira exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at her.

"What is it Kira?" Ichiru asked going to stand by her. She looked at him with stricken eyes.

"Something's coming...I can feel it...a vampire!" she said through her teeth. Yuki and Zero were immediately ready.

"Where?" They asked simultaneously.

"...Here..." A female voice whispered. Then, Ichiru was being lifted into the air.

"Ichiru!" Zero yelled.

"Ichiru, no!" Kira yelled. They gathered and they saw Shizuka, bat wings spread wide, holding a struggling Ichiru by the ankle.

"Argh! Let go of me, vampire!" He screamed while trying to get free. All Shizuka did was laugh at his struggle.

"Shizuka! Let him go!" Zero yelled, pointing the gun up at her. Then, there was a flash of black, and the gun was gone.

"What--?" He turned, and, standing behind him with crimson irises...was Kaname with the 'Bloody Rose' in his hand.

"Do not point such a weapon at Mistress Shizuka, you lowly being." He said with a growl.

"Kaname!" Yuki said, Sora right next to her.

"You really weren't lying. Rido really has corrupted Kaname." Sora said. Kaname glared at Sora.

"How dare you--!" Kaname made to move to attack, then a hand appeared on his shoulder.

"Now, now Kaname. Compose yourself, now." Rido said, stepping out of the shadows. Kaname moved to Rido's side with a low bow.

"Yes, my lord. Forgive me, my lord." He said respectfully. Yuki gripped her sword tightly.

"Rido!" And she ran at Rido, sword raised. Then, Kaname stepped in front of Rido, and he placed a hand over his head.

"Kaname!!!" Yuki cried out as she got closer. Then, there was a flash of light...

* * *

When the light vanished, Kaname had a long kitana in his hands, and Yuki's sword was clashed with it.

"Kaname, move aside!" She said through clenched teeth. Kaname did not move.

"I will not allow you to kill Lord Rido!" He said. Rido stepped up to Kaname.

"Kaname, why don't you show Yuki how _unflinching _your loyalty to me is?" he said quietly.

"Kaname--" But Kaname did not hear her voice as they began to fight. Zero glared at Rido.

"You sick bastard! Forcing a brother and his sister--whom he swore to protect--to fight! How do you justify what you do?!" Zero demanded.

"Zero! Watch out!" Ichiru screamed from above. Zero turned in time to ward off a vicious vampire with large fangs, and glowing, red eyes. Zero pulled out his sword, and he ran it through the vampire's heart. When it was dust, he noticed that Kira and Sora were fighting a whole horde of vampire's.

_Damn it! _Zero cursed. Then, he looked up to see his brother struggling, Shizuka's hand on his throat. Kaname and Yuki were still fencing, Yuki had a bloody wound on her shoulder, while Kaname had a scratch on his cheek.

_Yuki! Damn! _Then, another beast came up for the attack; and he killed it too.

* * *

Soon, the horde was almost gone, except for the three that surrounded Zero. Sora and Kira were collapsed in exhaustion. Sora had a large (healing) gash in his abdomen, and Kira had blood pouring out of her arm. Shizuka still had Ichiru at the throat, and he had tears going down his face as he watched Zero fight. Kaname was standing over Yuki, his sword was pointed at her throat. Yuki clutched at her wounded shoulder, tears in her eyes.

Zero was shaking uncontrollably from the massive fighting. He breathed in labored pants. His sword was held in his right hand, while his left was bleeding.

Rido chuckled darkly. "Wow, you have fought bravely, hunter Kiryu. And futilely. You are at the point of collapse, and you still fight. You still wish to save them." He gestured to Sora, Kira, Yuki and Ichiru. Zero glared at Rido.

"I'm not like you!" He growled, "I will finish this fight, even if it means dying in the process," he took in a few breath's before he continued, "I will keep fighting! No matter what!" Zero said, he looked at the three monsters around him, and he swung his sword at them. Two turned to dust, but the other was a bit more skilled than he gave it credit for.

"My child," Rido addressed the monster, "use this." And he threw the thing a sword...

* * *

Zero was bent over on one knee, clutching at his abdomen, blood pouring to the ground.

"No, brother, no!" Ichiru screamed.

"Zero!" Yuki screamed, Kaname inched the blade to her throat.

"Silence." He ordered her. She turned back to her brother.

Zero looked up at the monster who stood over him. It put the blade under his chin, its eyes blazed at the sight of Zero's blood.

"...blood...I want...blood!" It cried as it lunged at Zero.

"Zero!" Yuki and Ichiru cried.

Then, there was silence...

**Max:**** So? Whaddya think? I hope you guys enjoyed a nice, long chapter in exchange for my long absence. I hope y'all are satisfied! Review please! Cya!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 23: There, Back and to Hell**

**Max:**** Hey! I'm sorry about the cliff-hanger from the other chapter, but I am here to tell you another tragedy that will happen. I'm very sorry for what I'm about to do.**

Rido now held the sword that the creature--now turned to dust by Rido--had over his head.

"Now, that would be unpleasant, to see any of your precious hunter blood being drank by a blood-thirsty beast like _that._" Rido said, gesturing to the pile of dust and he dropped the sword to the ground. Zero glared up at Rido.

"Why would you do that?" Zero said hoarsely, gripping at his wound. Then, Rido--as fast as lightning--grabbed Zero around the throat and he pushed Zero against the trunk of a rough oak tree.

"I did that..." Rido pushed down the collar of Zero's shirt, exposing his collar bone,

"Get off of me!" Zero yelled, but the loss of blood made him weak, so his struggle was small.

"I did what I did..." Rido was at Zero's throat now, "...so _I_ could taste your blood...Zero Kiryu!"

Then, there was an agonizing pain, and an agonized scream from Zero.

* * *

Yuki watched horrified that Rido was drinking Zero's blood. Now, Zero would suffer from the transformation. And, since there was no way that Rido will let Zero drink his blood, Zero would slowly die. She looked up at where Shizuka floated in the air, Ichiru trapped in her grasp; tears going down his face, pure shock on his face. Yuki watched as Zero tried to escape, but the blood loss made him weak.

"No, Zero, no." She whispered, as Zero crumbled to the ground, Rido whiped his lips with the sleeve of his cloak. Yuki looked up at her brother, who had the sword at her throat. She swallowed and she smiled up at him,

"Kaname...I love you, brother..." And she kicked the sword out of his hands, and she jumped to her feet, her shoulder screamed in protest, but she ignored the pain. She leapt to the side, grabbing the 'Bloody Rose', and she pointed it at Kaname.

Kaname stood quietly, not moving. Yuki was breathing hard.

"Brother, please...please wake up! Please remember my voice, Kaname! I'm your sister! It's Yuki! Me! Remember, the way we trained together when we were little, and I fell in the pond and almost drowned when I was six. You jumped into the pond and pulled me out! Remember that, Kaname! Remember our parents, the people who gave their lives to protect us! Dammit!" Yuki shrieked, her hands shaking on the weapon in her hands, her eyes were over flowing with tears. "Rido is the one we vowed to kill! Kaname, my brother, help me! Don't make me kill my own brother! Please, Kaname!" She screamed.

* * *

The sound of Yuki's screams made Zero open his eyes, even as the fire coursed through his body. She was pointing his gun at Kaname; she was trying to bring him back. Zero tried to move, but he couldn't find any mobility in his body.

"Brother! Zero!" He heard Ichiru scream from over-head.

"Shizuka, take the boy back to the Ritual Grounds." Rido ordered up to Shizuka. Zero tried to move as he heard Ichiru scream.

"Zero! Brother, no!" He screamed.

Zero didn't have the energy to yell back, or express how angry he was...

* * *

"Ichiru!" Yuki yelled, then she turned back to her brother as Rido stepped toward Zero.

Yuki held the gun, pointed at Kaname's chest, his eyes were wavering, but Yuki couldn't see.

"Kaname..." she sobbed, "Please...please, brother..." she said through her sobs. She lowered the gun, her sobs overwhelming her and she collapsed to her knees.

Her sobs continued for another minute, then, Kaname walked toward her, but she only saw his shadow, and the bottom of the dark trench coat he wore. He knelt down on one knee;

"...Don't cry, baby sister...I'm here..." Yuki's eyes went wide at the tone in his voice. He didn't sound like a prisoner to Rido; he sounded like her older brother. Yuki looked up at Kaname, his eyes were the soft brown as she remembered them. She smiled up at him through her tears. Kaname returned her with a soft smile, and he wiped her tears away with his fingers.

"Stay there." He said, Yuki made to go with him, but he held her down with a hand on her shoulder.

"No. I made a promise to protect you...and I keep my promises. So, stay there." He said, he leaned over and he kissed her on the forehead, and he stood up, and walked toward Rido, who was bent over Zero.

* * *

Rido put a hand on Zero's head.

"Don't...touch...me!" Zero growled through his pain. Rido chuckled.

"You fight the transformation strongly, you must be in absolute pa--" Rido was cut off as he was thrown off of Zero. Zero looked up. It was Kaname.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to leave, now, Rido." Kaname said coolly. Rido looked at Kaname, outraged.

"How can you resist my control?!" Rido demanded as he got to his feet.

"A little thing that you will never understand, Rido. What with your heart being filled with dust and black ashes." Kaname said, and he turned a glance to Yuki, who was watching him, a big smile on her face.

"Yuki, tend to Kiryu." he said. Yuki nodded, and she ran to Zero. Kaname turned back to Rido.

"You will leave now, and we will meet in Tetsuna, where we will get Kiryu's brother back. And we will stop you, and kill you. That's a promise." Kaname said threateningly. Rido was filled with rage. He roared in rage, and he spread his wings and he flew off.

Kaname turned to Yuki, who had Zero's head on her lap. She had her hands on the sides of his face, and he was writhing in pain.

"Aghhh! Aghhh!" Zero groaned in pain. "Aghhh! Ichiru! Dammit! Aghhh!" Zero cried.

"Shhh, Zero. It's okay, we'll get him back. We will! And you'll be okay." Yuki tried to calm him, but it didn't help. Yuki pushed his hair off of his forehead, no tears came. She couldn't cry anymore, but she wished that she could. She turned to Kaname.

"Kaname what do we do?" she asked. Kaname knelt down beside her.

"I'm afraid we have to wait. That's all we can do." He said softly.

"What's going on? Where's Ichiru?" Kira asked from behind. Yuki saw that Kira and Sora were getting to their feet, and walking over to them.

"Kaname, good to see that you're back on the good side." Kira said.

"Heya, Kaname. What's happening to Zero?" Sora asked.

"Rido bit him. He's turning." Kaname said.

Then, Zero's screams and writhing fits stopped, and he opened his eyes.

"What am I?" he asked hoarsely. Yuki, with a small tear in her eye, answered,

"You're a vampire, Zero."

**Max: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry! Please don't kill me! And I know that Shizuka originally turned Zero, but this is why it's called 'fanfiction', to make up your own versions! So, please don't bug me about the 'who bites who' stuff. I have the six vampire knight books, so I know. I will get started on the next chapter when I can. Cya! ;)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 24**

**Max:**** Hey guys! I'm sorry for my absence. I will make up for it right now by giving you another chapter. Enjoy and review P-uh-lease!**

Everyone was now back at the castle in Tetsuna the same evening, either tending to their wounds or going over the plan to save Ichiru.

Zero kept to himself in the topmost tower on the roof, staring at the stars. His strength and eyesight had been greatly enhanced due to the transformation--which he did NOT take well at all. He kept away from everyone else on the way back, angry that his brother was taken, and that he had been turned into the thing that he hates most.

He had never been as angry and filled with hate before this moment. He couldn't even look at Yuki in the eye anymore. She had been trying to get his attention all day, trying to help him, but he always--either--ignored her or shook her off. For good reason.

Ever since he awakened in his damned state, he felt an unbearable thirst in the back of his throat. It burned greater than any hunger--or thirst, ironically--he had ever known. When he was near the others--Yuki, especially--his entire being screamed for their blood.

_I will have to keep my distance so I don't hurt her, or any of the others._ Zero thought to himself. If he were to hurt anyone...he gripped his head in frustration.

* * *

"I understand that Zero is hating what he has become, but why is he keeping his distance?!" Yuki demanded in frustration. She had tried to talk to Zero ever since that morning, but he never answered. Yuki, Kaname, Sora and Kira were in a circle in the dining hall, seated at the table, with food for all of them (except Kaname, of course).

"Yuki, he is a newborn, he is keeping his distance so that he will not go out of control." Kaname said calmly.

"Will he?" she asked.

"I don't know, Yuki. That is up to him. When I awoke from the transformation, I felt the thirst hit me harder than an avalanche. The thirst is all you think about once you are turned."

"Sucks for him. I bet he's keeping his distance because he's thirsty, and not just for this amazing red wine." Sora said, trying to settle the mood.

"I doubt it, Sora. Besides, Kiryu is probably fighting the thirst with all he's got right now." Kira said, taking a bite of the roast and chewing slowly. Yuki remained quiet for a moment, before she spoke again.

"So, Zero needs blood...?" she asked in what she hoped was a seriously curious look when she was hiding something. Too bad Kaname was sitting right next to her.

"Yuki Kuran, don't even _think _about it! If he loses control over his own nature, he will kill you!" Kaname said firmly. Yuki remained silent as he spoke.

"After I was turned, Rido forced a human onto me, and I couldn't control the thirst--I killed the woman that was offered to me. I deeply regret it, even though I didn't know her. How do you think Kiryu will feel if he fed off of you and accidentally killed you! Think, Yuki!" he demanded firmly.

"Kaname, I know what the risk is. Do you think I haven't thought it through already?! You don't understand, Kaname. He has always hated vampires, ever since his parents were murdered by Shizuka Hio!" she felt her frustration boil, and she saw that they were all staring at her. She swallowed and continued in a calmer tone of voice.

"Look, I just want to help Zero. He's my friend--"

"Yeah, right." Sora said in an undertone. Yuki looked over at him as Kira and Kaname remained silent.

"What?"

"Yuki, open your eyes! Why do you think Kiryu has been avoiding _you _the most today?" Sora asked.

"Well, he's been avoiding all of us, hasn't he?"

"Please! I'll wager a year's worth of full moons that he cares about you the most! Kiryu loves you, Yuki. Face it! And, I'll wager another year of full moons that you love him, too!"

Yuki turned red, as Kira and Kaname looked at her in shock at Sora's words.

"Yuki--?" Kaname began.

"Wha--? No--!"

"Don't try squirming your way out of this one, cuz. It's true! I've seen the way he held you in the Order. Or the way you two were all cozy last night--"

"It wasn't like that! We were just talking!" Yuki tried to defend herself, but Sora kept going.

"Not the whole time, you weren't. Yuki, stop trying to deny what you know is the truth. I may not look it, but I'm extremely observant. I've noticed it since this morning. There's no denying it."

Yuki was at a loss for words. She couldn't move her lips to try to argue with Sora. She felt her heart hammering in her chest, trying to burst through; Sora was correct. She had fallen in love with Zero.

She felt Kaname's hand on hers, she did not turn to face her brother.

"Yuki, come with me." And he pulled her away from the table, and down the hall to a deserted room. She walked over to the window as Kaname shut and locked the door. It was silent for a long while, before Yuki couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Kaname, I'm sorry. I never meant for it to happen! I swear to God!" Yuki said in defense, then composed her tone, "But, I'm also not sorry. Zero is a good person, and he has saved me a few times already. I can't help what I feel about him." she said firmly, tears threatening her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly, to hide them from Kaname.

Kaname and Yuki were silent again, this time, Yuki waited for her older brother to say something, then.

"Go, Yuki." he said in a strained voice. Yuki looked up at him.

"Wha--?"

"Go. Before I change my mind. Go to him, Yuki." he said, his arms were crossed across his chest, and he had his eyes closed in frustration. Yuki felt confused at first, until she understood what he meant.

Yuki ran to her brother, and threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Kaname." she whispered. When she pulled away, she noticed a small tear go down Kaname's cheek.

"Don't worry." she whispered. She kissed his cheek, and ran out the door, and up the long stairwell that led to the top-most tower; to where Zero was.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 25: Defiance **

**Max:**** Hey guys. This chapter is gonna be a little....well....you'll have to wait and see, as always.**

Zero looked out the small window, up at the stars and he placed his hand on the window.

_Why did this happen?_ Zero thought angrily, his hand curled into a fist. Then, in pure rage, he banged his fist hard on the window, cracking the glass. Blood began to flow down his hand and wrist. The cracked glass cut him.

_B-BUMP! B-BUMP! _

_What? _Zero thought in shock. His heart began to pound in his chest erratically at the sight and smell of the blood. Then, he realized that he wanted the blood--even though it was his own.

Zero felt a pain in his gums as his canines extended and he brought his bloody wrist to his mouth.

Yuki ran up the many stairs in the tower, until she came to the door. She tried to push it open; it was locked.

"Zero!" she yelled, banging on the door.

"ZERO!!"

_Yuki?! _Zero pulled his wrist away from his mouth, his blood dripped from his fangs and his lips.

"Zero, open the door!" Yuki said from the door.

Zero felt his throat burn as he heard her scream from the door.

"No! Leave me alone!" Zero said, gripping at his parched throat.

"No!! I'm NOT leaving you!!"

_Yuki...._ "Aghhh!!"

* * *

"Zero?! Zero!" Yuki screamed, then she stepped back and she grabbed one of the torches from the iron cast on the wall, and she threw it against the door.

Now, there was a hole in the door, good enough for Yuki to see Zero's form; hunched over on his knees, gripping his throat in pain.

"Zero!" she ran over to his side, then he stood up and pushed her down.

"No!!! You can't be here! Don't you understand?! I'm a monster!" Zero yelled. Yuki looked up at his angry eyes, but she saw self-loathing in them. Anger. Pain. Fear, even. There was one other emotion in his eyes as he looked at her, but she couldn't name it. She wanted to take the fear and anger out of his eyes. She wanted to save him from the pain he was feeling.

Yuki got back to her feet and looked into his eyes. Then, she began to remove her jacket, and top-shirt. Zero took a step back.

"What are you doing?"

Yuki kept her eyes locked on his as she dropped her top shirt--she was wearing a tank top underneath--to the floor, and went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt his muscles tense.

"Yuki...?" he said in a shaky whisper.

"Zero...drink my blood..." she whispered. She felt him tense even more--if that was possible--but he didn't push her away. She felt his hands on her arms, but he didn't push her away.

"It's alright, Zero...it's alright..." she whispered soothingly to him. She felt one of his hands go to the back of her neck, into her hair, gripping. The hand he had on her back gripped the back of her shirt.

After another whole minute, she felt him move some of her hair, exposing her throat, and collar bone. She took a deep breath, and tilted her head to the side a bit. She felt his warm breath on her neck--causing her to shiver a bit, which made her move closer to him.

* * *

Zero felt Yuki press closer to him as he breathed slowly, listening to the flow of her blood under her delicate skin. He held her tightly; one hand in her hair, the other on her back. Driven by the maddening pain of the thirst, he ran his tongue across the bare skin of her neck and collar bone. Yuki sucked in a breath, but did not move away.

Zero felt the fangs extend from his gums, and he dug them into the bare skin of Yuki's neck, her warm, ambrosian blood filled his mouth, and soothed his parched throat.


End file.
